gaff.
A tool consisting of a large metal hook with a handle or pole, especially the one used to pull large fish aboard a boat.
Meaning & usage
A tool consisting of a large metal hook with a handle or pole, especially the one used to pull large fish aboard a boat.
A minor error or faux pas, a gaffe.
We politely ignored his gaff.
A trick or con.
The sideshow feat was just a gaff, but the audience was too proud to admit they'd been fooled.
The upper spar used to control a gaff-rigged sail.
A type of tight, panty-like underwear worn to hold the penis and testicles tucked backwards and make one's genital region look smooth, as if one had a vulva.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English gaffe, from Old French gaffe, from Old Occitan gaf (“hook”), derivative of gafar (“to seize”), from 𐌲𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽 (giban, “to give”). Doublet of gaffe. Etymology 1, noun sense 5 apparently derives from the idea that the garment tricks or deceives others about the wearer's genitalia.
To use a gaff, especially to land a fish.
To cheat or hoax.
To doctor or modify for deceptive purposes.
To gamble, especially by tossing coins.
To affix gaffer tape to, or cover with gaffer tape.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English gaffe, from Old French gaffe, from Old Occitan gaf (“hook”), derivative of gafar (“to seize”), from 𐌲𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽 (giban, “to give”). Doublet of gaffe. Etymology 1, noun sense 5 apparently derives from the idea that the garment tricks or deceives others about the wearer's genitalia.
Rough or harsh treatment; criticism.
An outcry; nonsense.
Where this word comes from
Perhaps from Old English gafsprǣc (“buffoonery, scurrility; blasphemous or ribald speech”), from Old English gaf (“base, vile, lewd”) + Old English sprǣc (“language, speech, talk”). Compare Old English gaffetung, gafettung (“scoffing, mockery, derision”).
A place of residence.
We're going round to Mike's gaff later to watch the footie.
A disreputable, low-end theatre.
Where this word comes from
Unknown. Possibly from Etymology 1, via a sense of “a place that will be robbed” in criminal argot; possibly from Etymology 2, via a sense of "cheap theatre"; possibly from Romani gav (“village”) (whence German Kaff (“village”)).
Clipping of gaffer tape.
She bought a roll of black gaff to tape down the loose cords.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.