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Synonyms

gaff

1 American  
[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, orgaff-headed sail.

  4. a metal spur for a gamecock.

verb (used with object)

  1. to hook or land (a fish) with a gaff.

gaff 2 American  
[gaf] / gæf /

noun

Slang.

  1. harsh treatment or criticism (usually used in the phrasestand/take the gaff ).

    All the gaff he took never made him bitter.

    You shouldn't be in show biz if you can't stand the gaff.
gaff 3 American  
[gaf] / gæf /

verb (used with object)

  1. Slang. to cheat; fleece.

verb (used without object)

  1. British Slang. to gamble, especially to indulge in petty gambling, as to toss coins.

gaff 1 British  
/ 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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. angling to hook or land (a fish) with a gaff

  2. slang to cheat; hoax

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
gaff 2 British  
/ ɡæf /

noun

  1. slang foolish talk; nonsense

  2. slang to divulge a secret

  3. slang to endure ridicule, difficulties, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
gaff 3 British  
/ ɡæf /

noun

  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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
gaff Idioms  

  1. see stand the gaff.

Etymology

Origin of gaff1

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Middle French gaffe, gaff, from Provençal gaf “hook, gaff,” noun derivative of gafar “to seize” (compare Medieval Latin gaffare ), probably from unattested Germanic (Visigothic) gaff-, perhaps derivative from base of Gothic giban “to give”; give

Origin of gaff2

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900; of uncertain origin; compare earlier British use, “nonsense, humbug,” Scots dialect, “loud laugh, guffaw”; guff

Origin of gaff3

First recorded in 1745–55; origin uncertain

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.