Mutt and Jeff

proper noun

Names given to a pair of companions, usually male, of whom one is tall and the other short.

Similar
good cop bad cop
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Meanings

proper nounMutt and Jeff pl (plural only)
  1. USpluralplural onlyslangNames given to a pair of companions, usually male, of whom one is tall and the other short.

    1962, "Facial Farceur" (film review of A Matter of WHO), Time, 10 Aug., The bowler-hatted Terry-Thomas and Cooper's gangling American business partner (Alex Nicol) team up, Mutt-and-Jeff fashion.

noun
  1. Synonym of good cop bad cop.

    Synonyms: good cop bad cop

adjectiveMutt and Jeff (comparative more Mutt and Jeff, superlative most Mutt and Jeff)

comparative more Mutt and Jeff · superlative most Mutt and Jeff

  1. CockneycomparableslangDeaf.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounSynonym of good cop bad cop.

Similar
good cop bad cop
Also see
good cop bad cop

Origin

From characters in a comic strip by U.S. cartoonist Harry Conway ("Bud") Fisher, first published in 1908.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Mutt and Jeff. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mutt%20and%20Jeff

MLA

“Mutt and Jeff.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mutt%20and%20Jeff. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Mutt and Jeff,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mutt%20and%20Jeff.

Source: Mutt and Jeff on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.