smurf

Borrowed from Dutch smurf (via the Belgian comic De Smurfen, a translation of French Les Schtroumpfs), from French schtroumpf, a word that was created by Peyo based on German Strumpf (literally “stocking, sock”), either simply because it sounds funny to the French ear or based on a regional German use for “idiot”. Armand van Raalte was an employee for the Belgian publisher of Peyo's stories who felt that schtroumpf would not have the same effect in Dutch, so he tried to find a simple word that could be used both as a noun and a verb. The result was smurf.^[1] In other languages, the term was similarly altered; compare the translations below.

• IPA^(key): /smɜːf/, (UK) enPR: smûrf,
• IPA^(key): /smɝf/, (US) enPR: smûrf

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)f

smurf (plural smurfs or (rare) smurves)

1. (comics, fiction) A blue pixie with white stocking cap, from the media franchise The Smurfs.
   • 2021 December 8, Geraldine DeRuiter, “Bros., Lecce: We Eat at The Worst Michelin Starred Restaurant, Ever”, in The Everywhereist‎^[3]:

     He occasionally used the proper noun of the restaurant as an adverb, the way a Smurf would.

2. (Internet slang) A smurf account or its user.
3. (computer security) A smurf attack.
4. (law enforcement, drugs, slang) One member of a team, each of whom acquires a small amount of money or ingredients for manufacturing drugs, keeping the transactions too small in order to not raise suspicion.
   • 1998, Michael D. Lyman, Gary W. Potter, Drugs in Society: Causes, Concepts, and Control, page 202:

     Each smurf goes to different banks and purchases cashier's checks in denominations of less than $ 10,000, thus bypassing the reporting requirement.

   • 2001, Robert E. Grosse, Drugs and Money: Laundering Latin America's Cocaine Dollars, page 73:

     Once the checks and money orders were purchased, the smurfs delivered them to Barrera, who arranged deposits of multiple checks and money orders into bank accounts that he controlled for further transfer to accounts in Panama, Colombia, and elsewhere.

   • 2020, David Heska Wanbli Weiden, Winter Counts, page 22:

     The local cooks would get some smurfs to buy boxes of Sudafed at all the drugstores in a hundred-mile radius, then pay them off in product.

smurf (third-person singular simple present smurfs, present participle smurfing, simple past and past participle smurfed)

1. (slang) Used to replace any other verb, as is typical of smurfs.
2. (law enforcement, banking) To split a large financial transaction into smaller ones so as to avoid scrutiny; to carry out structuring.
3. (computer security, transitive) To carry out a smurf attack against someone.
4. (Internet slang) To use a smurf account.
   1. (by extension, intransitive, transitive) To perform exceptionally well, as if one's using a smurf account, playing into much inferior opponents.

      He has been absolutely smurfing this season.

      Holy shit, he smurfed that fight so hard!

Changed from the original French schtroumpf as described above.^[1]

• IPA^(key): /smʏrf/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: smurf
• Rhymes: -ʏrf

smurf m (plural smurfen, diminutive smurfje n)

1. (comics, fiction) smurf

1983: after the English name of The Smurfs, via Dutch smurf from French schtroumpf. See above.

• IPA^(key): /smœʁf/

smurf m (plural smurfs)

1. a sort of breakdancing

   Hypernym: breakdance

• smurfer

Borrowed from Dutch smurf, from French schtroumpf.

• IPA^(key): /smɵrf/

smurf c

1. (comics, fiction) smurf

smurf

1. jinx

• smurf in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)