Skiffle
/ˈskɪf.əl/noun
A style of music blending folk, jazz, blues, and improvised homemade instruments.
Did you know?The word was already used in American jazz slang for a disreputable or second-rate performance before it became the label for the postwar British music craze.
Etymological Timeline
19th Century
English
skiffle
“American slang for a shabby or disreputable performance, especially in music.”
Early 20th Century
English
skiffle
“A ragged, informal musical performance or jam session.”
1950s
English
skiffle
“A popular British folk-and-jazz-inflected music style, often played on homemade instruments.”
Origin uncertain
English
skiffle
“Likely from earlier dialect or slang, possibly related to words for confusion, scramble, or disorder; the exact origin is not firmly established.”