17 AUGUST 1985, Page 20

Fan mail

Sir: Valerie Grove asks for the etymology of `naff' (Diary, 10 August). Partridge derives 'rid', by way of Cockney back slang (a word spelt backwards), from 'fan', fanny, n. fern. It appears in this sense in 1845. Perhaps Mrs Grove should pass the word to her hairdresser.

George Ansell c/o 56 Doughty Street, London WC1