buffer, buffertnouna dogla17-. etymology: origin obscure; perhaps a development of Cant bufe ‘a dog 1567’; attested by Galloway and Perthshire and Argyleshire Tinkler-Gypsies, BS in TDITA and SS; collected by EMcC/PS and RDnote:
Grose and Egan (1823) attest the form buffer ‘a dog’ as ‘Cant’