Meaning
To hit with a fist or an open hand — to cuff or box someone. 'Him kuff mi inna mi face' means he punched me in the face, and as a noun a 'kuff' is such a blow. It can also mean to knock or bump against something. A variant of 'cuff', it sits with 'bax', 'tump', and 'box' in the everyday vocabulary of blows, and it turns up in scoldings, threats, and accounts of a fight, naming the quick, solid strike of the hand.
Examples
-
Him kuff di bwoy fi di facetiness.
He cuffed the boy for the cheek.
-
One kuff lick him dung.
One blow knocked him down.
-
Nuh mek mi kuff yuh.
Don't make me hit you.
Origin
From English 'cuff' (to strike with the hand), with the Patois 'k' spelling; a blow with fist or hand.
How it’s used
To punch/strike; also a noun 'a kuff' (a blow). Compare 'bax'/'box' (slap), 'backfist', 'lick'.