skiffle: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2/RareSpecialist, Historical, Informal
Quick answer
What does “skiffle” mean?
A type of folk music with a blues, jazz, or jug band influence, typically played on improvised or homemade instruments like washboards, jugs, kazoos, and acoustic guitars.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A type of folk music with a blues, jazz, or jug band influence, typically played on improvised or homemade instruments like washboards, jugs, kazoos, and acoustic guitars.
Can refer to the DIY, energetic, and often amateurish aesthetic associated with the musical genre, characterised by its percussive drive and raw sound. Historically, it denotes a musical craze, particularly in 1950s Britain.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The word is strongly associated with British cultural history. While the genre has American roots in jug band and folk music, the term 'skiffle' for this specific revival is predominantly British. In the US, the earlier forms might be called 'jug band music' or 'folk blues'.
Connotations
In the UK, connotes a nostalgic, energetic, and accessible post-war musical movement that democratised music-making for youth (e.g., Lonnie Donegan). In the US, it is a more academic or historical term for a subset of early folk/blues.
Frequency
Frequent in UK discussions of 1950s music history; rare in modern American English outside musical historiography.
Grammar
How to Use “skiffle” in a Sentence
[Noun] played skiffleThe [noun] was influenced by skifflea revival of skiffleVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “skiffle” in a Sentence
noun
British English
- The skiffle craze of the '50s inspired a generation of British musicians like The Beatles in their early days.
- They formed a skiffle group using a tea-chest bass and a washboard.
American English
- The museum's exhibit on folk music included a section on skiffle and its roots in African American jug bands.
- His musicology thesis focused on the transatlantic journey of the skiffle style.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Used in musicology and cultural studies to describe the 1950s British movement.
Everyday
Rare; used by older generations or music enthusiasts referencing the era.
Technical
Used in music history to denote a specific genre and its instrumentation.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “skiffle”
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “skiffle”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “skiffle”
- Misspelling as 'skifle' or 'skipple'.
- Using it to describe any amateur music rather than the specific historical genre.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, primarily by niche revivalist groups and folk music enthusiasts who keep the traditional style alive, though it is not part of the mainstream music scene.
"Rock Island Line" by Lonnie Donegan (1955) is widely considered the hit that launched the skiffle craze in Britain.
It made music-making accessible and affordable for working-class youth in post-war austerity Britain, directly inspiring many who later formed the iconic British rock bands of the 1960s.
Skiffle is a distinct genre that heavily borrowed from American blues, folk, and jug band music, but it was adapted with a distinctive British, upbeat, and DIY approach, often simplifying the rhythms and structures for amateur players.
A type of folk music with a blues, jazz, or jug band influence, typically played on improvised or homemade instruments like washboards, jugs, kazoos, and acoustic guitars.
Skiffle is usually specialist, historical, informal in register.
Skiffle: in British English it is pronounced /ˈskɪf.əl/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈskɪf.əl/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None directly associated.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of the 'skiff' sound of a washboard being scraped, and the 'fiddle' (folk) music it accompanies -> SKIFF-le.
Conceptual Metaphor
MUSIC AS HOMEMADE/IMPROVISED CRAFT.
Practice
Quiz
What is a defining characteristic of a traditional skiffle band?