# I'm looking for a definition of "to whiff on" a question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-a-definition-of-to-whiff-on-a-question/720144>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 16, 2015, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-a-definition-of-to-whiff-on-a-question/720144 "2015-05-16T00:30:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-a-definition-of-to-whiff-on-a-question/720144/1 "2015-05-16T00:30:22Z")

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Hi,

Does to “whiff on a question” as Jeb Bush seems to have done, mean to stumble on a question? I couldn’t find an answer to my question. I look forward to your feedback.  
davidmich

> **[Jeb Should Have Had a Ready Answer for the Iraq Question. All His Rivals Did.](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2015/05/jeb-bush-on-the-iraq-war-gop-hopeful-finally-falls-in-line-with-rivals-on-whether-iraq-war-was-a-mistake.html)**
>
> Jeb Bush on Thursday gave his fourth answer in as many days to the question of whether, with the benefit of hindsight, he would have invaded Iraq in...

> **[Slate Magazine - Politics, Business, Technology, and the Arts](https://slate.com/)**
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“Jeb Bush Was the Only GOP Candidate Who Whiffed on the Iraq Question”

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**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-a-definition-of-to-whiff-on-a-question/720144/2 "2015-05-16T00:39:09Z")

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It’s a batting metaphor, referring to the sound of swinging at and completely missing a pitch.

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**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-a-definition-of-to-whiff-on-a-question/720144/3 "2015-05-16T01:10:47Z")

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Agreed. It’s likely from baseball, and, in this context, would mean trying, and failing, to effectively answer a question, or by making himself look bad with the answer which he gave.

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**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-a-definition-of-to-whiff-on-a-question/720144/4 "2015-05-16T13:52:14Z")

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Agree with posters so far.

Going a bit further … in baseball a whiff is a clean miss. Unlike a foul tip where contact is made. In a non-baseball context “a whiff” is a failure that doesn’t even deserve partial credit. IOW, an especially ineffective failure at doing whatever was expected.

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**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-a-definition-of-to-whiff-on-a-question/720144/5 "2015-05-16T14:34:24Z")

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I heard the term “whiff” in golf, with the same context - swing and completely miss. Whiff sound more obvious in golf, but probably Gorsnak is right, it entered the popular language from baseball with a wider audience across the country for a longer time.