riff

name

1. Acronym of Resource Interchange File Format.

noun

Etymology: From Middle English *rif (found only in midrif), from Old English hrif (“the belly; womb”), from Proto-West Germanic *hrif, from Proto-Germanic *hrefaz (“body; torso; belly”), from Proto-Indo-European *krep- (“body”). Distant doublet of corpus, corpse, and corse.

1. The belly; the bowels.

verb

Etymology: Uncertain. Perhaps a clipping of riffle, or an alteration of refrain.

1. To improvise in the performance or practice of an art, especially by expanding on or making novel use of traditional themes.

   “She riffed on the Olympic judges, the bobsled team, then ad-libbed with a woman drinking a martini at the front table.”

   “They were great architects deeply enmeshed in an urban chain of innovation; Wright riffed on Sullivan's idea of form following function, and Sullivan riffed on Jenney, and Jenney relied on the fireproofing innovations of Peter B. Wight.”

2. To riffle.

   “He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a wellworn deck of cards. He hated Saturday duty. He cut the deck and riffed the two halves together.”

   “He was gracious enough to thank her, and briefly riffed through the pages before putting it in his briefcase.”

3. To tell jokes over a movie or similar performance.

   “Most MSTers confine their "riffing" to original fan fiction rather than scripts from corporate-owned entertainment properties, which renders such twice-removed MSTing somewhat toothless: the cannibalizing parody of a pastiche.”

   “A bad sci-fi movie is often ludicrous and silly and ripe for riffing. A bad comedy is usually just dull.”