keuf (French)
Where does "keuf" come from?
The French slang term 'keuf' is a classic example of verlan, a form of French argot that flips the syllables of a word. It was created by reversing the syllables of 'flic,' a common colloquial term for a police officer, transforming 'flic' into 'keuf' to create modern street slang.
Full etymology tree
- keuf (French), 'cop, pig, rozzer'
- derived flic (French), 'police officer; copper, pig, rozzer'
- borrowed Flick (German)
- derived fligue (French)
- abbreviation fligman (French)
- borrowed Fliege (German), 'fly (insect)'
- abbreviation fligman (French)
- derived flic (French), 'police officer; copper, pig, rozzer'
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris