"TUFT-HUNTER" AND "TOFF."
In an interesting reminiscence of okl Oxford, Sir Herbert Maxwell revealed the origin of the old University terms "tuft-hunters," for snobs, and "a toff," for a man who assumes the "grand air" manner. When he went to Christ Church College undergraduates were divided into three classes —peers and peers' sons, who wore velvet gowns and gold tassels on their caps; gentlemen commoners, who wore silk gowns and dined at a separate table in hall; and commoners, whose gowns were of coarser stuff. In IS7I the men at Trinity College, Cambridge, were also divided into three classes. The gold tassel was called a "tuft," and the man who sought the friendship of its wearer became a "tuft-hunter." "Toll'" came from "tuft."
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Bibliographic details
Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 185, 6 August 1932, Page 9 (Supplement)
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123"TUFT-HUNTER" AND "TOFF." Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 185, 6 August 1932, Page 9 (Supplement)
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