| 1. act of shuffling cards; part of a stream with a strong swift current, rapid. shuffle cards; leaf through, thumb through; turn pages quickly. riffleriffle , n. [cf. g. riffeln, riefeln, to groove. cf. rifle a gun.] (mining) a trough or sluice having cleats, grooves, or steps across the bottom for holding quicksilver and catching particles of gold when auriferous earth is washed; also, one of the cleats, grooves, or steps in such a trough. also called ripple.riffle riffle , n. [cf. riffle a trough.] a ripple in a stream or current of water; also, a place where the water ripples, as on a shallow rapid. [local, u. s.] the bass have left the cool depth beside the rock and are on the riffle or just below it. --james a. henshall.riffle n |