Tim Bowen explains, “The noun buff has come to mean someone who is both very interested in and knows a lot about a particular subject, usually an intellectual subject. Examples include a wine buff, a film buff, a theatre buff and a computer buff. The noun is related to the verb to buff meaning to make something shine by rubbing it with a cloth. In the past buffing was often done with a cloth made of soft leather, originally from buffalo skins (which is often believed to be the origin of buff)…”