Gaff
[gaf] /gæf/
noun
1.
an iron hook with a handle for landing large fish.
2.
the spur on a climbing iron, especially as used by telephone linemen.
3.
Nautical. a spar rising aft from a mast to support the head of a quadrilateral fore-and-aft sail (gaff sail)
4.
a metal spur for a gamecock.
verb (used with object)
5.
to hook or land (a fish) with a gaff.
[gaf] /gæf/
noun
1.
harsh treatment or criticism:
All the gaff he took never made him bitter.
Idioms
2.
stand / take the gaff, Slang. to weather hardship or strain; endure patiently.
[gaf] /gæf/
verb (used with object)
1.
Slang. to cheat; fleece.
verb (used without object)
2.
British Slang. to gamble, especially to indulge in petty gambling, as to toss coins.
/ɡæf/
noun
1.
(angling) a stiff pole with a stout prong or hook attached for landing large fish
2.
(nautical) a boom hoisted aft of a mast to support a gaffsail
3.
a metal spur fixed to the leg of a gamecock
verb (transitive)
4.
(angling) to hook or land (a fish) with a gaff
5.
(slang) to cheat; hoax
/ɡæf/
noun
1.
(slang) foolish talk; nonsense
2.
(Brit, slang) blow the gaff, to divulge a secret
3.
(slang, mainly US & Canadian) stand the gaff, to endure ridicule, difficulties, etc
/ɡæf/
noun (Brit, slang, archaic)
1.
a person’s home, esp a flat
2.
Also called penny-gaff. a cheap or low-class place of entertainment, esp a cheap theatre or music hall in Victorian England
n.
“iron hook,” c.1300, gaffe, from Old French gaffe “boat hook” (see gaffe). Specifically of the hook on a fishing spear from 1650s.
“loud, rude talk,” 1825, from Scottish dialect, perhaps a survival of Old English gafspræc “blasphemous or ribald speech,” or from gaff (n.1), and cf. gaffe.
“cheap music hall or theater; place of amusement for the lowest classes,” 1850s, British slang, earlier “a fair” (1753), of unknown origin.
noun
A concealed device or operation that makes it impossible for the customer to win; gimmick: People started looking for a gaff (1893+ Carnival & hawkers)
verb
Related Terms
blow the gaff, stand the gaff
[fr gaff, ”a hook”]
see: stand the gaff
Read Also:
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[gaf] /gæf/ noun 1. a social blunder; faux pas. /ɡæf/ noun 1. a social blunder, esp a tactless remark n. “blunder,” 1909, perhaps from French gaffe “clumsy remark,” originally “boat hook,” from Middle French gaffe (15c.), from Old Provençal gaf, probably from a Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *gafa. Sense connection is obscure; the gaff was […]
- Gaffer
[gaf-er] /ˈgæf ər/ noun 1. the chief electrician on a motion-picture or television production. 2. Informal. an old man. 3. British. a foreman or overseer, especially the boss of a group of physical laborers. 4. Glassmaking. a master glassblower responsible for shaping glassware. /ˈɡæfə/ noun 1. an old man, esp one living in the country: […]
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noun 1. (Brit) strong adhesive tape used in electrical repairs
- Gaffle
[gaf-uh l] /ˈgæf əl/ New England (chiefly Maine) . verb (used with object), gaffled, gaffling. 1. to take hold of; seize. verb (used without object), gaffled, gaffling. 2. to take as one’s own (used in the phrase gaffle on to): I’m going to gaffle on to that last piece of pie.
- Gaffling
[gaf-uh l] /ˈgæf əl/ New England (chiefly Maine) . verb (used with object), gaffled, gaffling. 1. to take hold of; seize. verb (used without object), gaffled, gaffling. 2. to take as one’s own (used in the phrase gaffle on to): I’m going to gaffle on to that last piece of pie.