Mutt and Jeff

1. dated slang A nickname given to a pair of people, especially friends or partners, who have distinctly contrasting qualities, especially in height. The name derives from the long-running 1907 US comic strip of the same name. Two detectives arrived at my door, one a towering, lanky beanpole of a man, the other squat and stout, like a bulldog. A regular Mutt and Jeff, they were.

2. dated slang A method of police interrogation in which one of two interrogators behaves in an overtly aggressive and accusatory with a suspect, while the other acts much more supportive and sympathetic. More commonly known as "good cop/bad cop." How do you want to interrogate the suspect? Will we give him a bit of the ol' Mutt and Jeff routine?

3. slang Deaf. The phrase comes from rhyming slang in which "Mutt and Jeff" rhymes with "deaf." Sometimes written as "Mutt 'n' Jeff." Primarily heard in UK. Can you please speak louder? I've gone a bit Mutt and Jeff as I've gotten older. Poor Grandad's quite Mutt 'n' Jeff these days, so he's always got the radio blaring as loud as it'll go.