noun General Slang

Naff Omi

/næf ˈəʊmi/ · noun · slang

Polari for a dull or unavailable man — 'naff' here meaning ordinary, possibly 'not available for...'.

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Definitions

1

From the same 'naff' that survives in mainstream British English meaning tacky or uncool, popularised later by Princess Anne's 'naff off'.

“That whole cod, naff crowd — let's troll somewhere bona.”
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2

Used to write off a man as straight, boring or simply not worth the effort.

“The bar was full of naff omis tonight — not one bit of trade.”
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3

In Polari, a tedious, unappealing or unavailable man. 'Naff' described someone or something dreary; one popular but unproven theory reads it as an acronym, 'not available for...', though scholars treat that as folk etymology.

“Nanti bother with him, he's a naff omi.”
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Naff Omi In A Sentence

She dismissed him with a wave: 'Naff omi, next.'
After three naff omis in a row, we gave up and went home.
Don't waste your dolly self on a naff omi like that.

Origin & Usage

Polari of mid-20th-century Britain; 'naff' (dreary, no good) is of disputed origin — the 'not available for...' acronym is folk etymology — and 'naff omi' is recorded in Polari usage discussed by Paul Baker.

Variants naff homi
Tags #polari#lgbtq#british#heritage#vintage#lexicon

People Also Ask

What does naff omi mean?

It is Polari for a dull, unappealing or unavailable man.

Does naff stand for 'not available for...'?

That popular acronym is folk etymology; the real origin of 'naff' is uncertain.

Is this the same 'naff' as 'naff off'?

Yes — the same 'naff' meaning tacky or no-good, later famous from Princess Anne's 'naff off'.

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