Revised as of
22 Dec 2022
I got held up by “Well that statement was riff with sarcasm.”
I assume the author meant that the statement was full of sarcasm, meaning rife, i.e., abundant, full of.
Yeah, there’s a difference between rife and riff. While I do enjoy the abundance of rife, it has negative connotations for me. I much prefer a good riff in music or comic comments.
You may also want to compare “Rife versus Riff” with “Riffle versus Rifle“.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Rife | Riff |
|---|---|
Attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 Dec 1941, Honolulu, Hawaii, from “Pearl Harbor: Why, How, Fleet Salvage and Final Appraisal”, an article by Vice Admiral Homer N. Wallin courtesy of Naval History and Heritage Command. — This surprise attack left the people rife with fear and anger. |
“Jazzy Frenchy” was composed by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound) courtesy of BenSound. — A cheery riff created by Bensound.
|
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Adjective, predicative; Adverb | Noun; Noun, proper; Verb, intransitive
Plural for the noun: riffs Third person present verb: riffs |
| Adjective: [Especially of something undesirable or harmful] Of common occurrence
Very plentiful
Adverb: |
Noun: [Music] A short repeated phrase in popular music and jazz, typically used as an introduction or refrain in a song
A monologue or spoken improvisation, especially a humorous one, on a particular subject
A distinct variation or take Proper noun: Verb, intransitive:
|
| Examples: | |
| Adjective: Male chauvinism was rife in medicine in those days. The streets were rife with rumor and fear. Rumor was rife in the village. The land was rife with poverty. Adverb: Speculation has run rife on all sorts of mad theories about who will get up in each state. Rumors ran wild and rife but the band would not play together again until 1993. |
Noun: It was a brilliant guitar riff. People naturally respond to the diminutive sax man’s keening sound, funky rhythms, and bluesy riffs. Your subsequent riffs on the same themes fail to amuse. “It was a disturbing riff on the Cinderella story.” – Daria Donnelly Proper noun: The Riff launched the conflict in 1921. The Riff Independence Movement is a charter member of the Organization of Emerging African States. Verb, intransitive: He also riffs on racism and the economy. Even the former stars of soupy boy bands have taken up riffing. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: overrife, Riffian, unrife Adverb: rifely Noun: rifeness, Riffian |
|
| History of the Word: | |
| Late Old English rȳfe, probably from the Old Norse rīfr meaning acceptable. | First recorded in 1930–35, it is perhaps an abbreviation of refrain, as in the musical accompaniment for a refrain. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Rife versus Riff
Apple Dictionary.com
Merriam-Webster: riff
“Riff.” Wikipedia. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berber_separatism_in_North_Africa>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Music Dream by Bill Smith is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr.
