huff and puff

huff and puff

1. To struggle or exert oneself physically. We huffed and puffed, but we did finally manage to get the couch up the steps.

2. To make exaggerated, pointless threats. A: "Are we in trouble?" B: "No, just let him huff and puff until he's done—he'll forget all about it by tomorrow."

See also: and, huff, puff

huff and puff

Fig. to breathe very hard; to pant as one exerts effort. John came up the stairs huffing and puffing. He huffed and puffed and finally got up the steep hill.

See also: and, huff, puff

huff and puff

Make noisy, empty threats; bluster. For example, You can huff and puff about storm warnings all you like, but we'll believe it when we see it . This expression uses two words of 16th-century origin, huff, meaning "to emit puffs of breath in anger," and puff, meaning "to blow in short gusts," and figuratively, "to inflate" or "make conceited." They were combined in the familiar nursery tale, "The Three Little Pigs," where the wicked wolf warns, "I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down"; rhyme has helped these idioms survive.

See also: and, huff, puff

huff and puff

1 breathe heavily with exhaustion. 2 express your annoyance in an obvious or threatening way.

See also: and, huff, puff

ˌhuff and ˈpuff

1 breathe heavily while making a great physical effort: They huffed and puffed as they carried the sofa upstairs.
2 make it obvious that you are annoyed about something without doing anything to change the situation: After much huffing and puffing, he agreed to help.

See also: and, huff, puff

puff

in. to get drunk. Those guys go out and puff every Friday night.