fluff

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
fluff/flʌf/

▶noun

• 1 soft fibres accumulated in small light clumps.

  ■ the fur or feathers of a young mammal or bird.

• 2 trivial or superficial entertainment or writing.

• 3 informal a mistake, especially in speech, sport, or music.

▶verb

• 1 (usu. fluff something up) make (something) fuller and softer by shaking or patting it.

• 2 informal fail to accomplish (something) properly.

– origin C18: prob. a dial. alt. of C16 flue ‘down, nap, fluff’, appar. from Flemish vluwe.