What does "gaff" mean?
A tool consisting of a large metal hook with a handle or pole, especially the one used to pull large fish aboard a boat.
Gaff
/ɡæf/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A tool consisting of a large metal hook with a handle or pole, especially the one used to pull large fish aboard a boat.
- Grammar: gaff is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abode, attach, capture fish, clamor.
- Useful contrasts: foreign land, mast, net.
- Usage evidence: We're meeting at my gaff at 2.30.
How to use "gaff"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "gaff" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "gaff" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "gaff" as the right word for your sentence.
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Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "gaff" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
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3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A tool consisting of a large metal hook with a handle or pole, especially the one used to pull large fish aboard a boat.
"When Leonard finally hauls up a cod of seventy-five centimeters, probably seven years old, a typical catch ten years ago, they all joke, "Oh my God, get the gaff!""
- 2 Rough or harsh treatment; criticism.
""Numbers one, two, and five engines have broken down, sir," he called. "Shall we force the remaining three?" / "We can do nothing else," I bellowed into the transmitter. / "They won't stand the gaff, sir," he returned. / "Can you suggest a better plan?" I asked. / "No, sir," he replied. / "Then give them the gaff, lieutenant," I shouted back, and hung up the receiver."
- 3 A place of residence. Ireland, UK, slang
"We're going round to Mike's gaff later to watch the footie."
- 4 Clipping of gaffer tape. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, informal, uncountable
"She bought a roll of black gaff to tape down the loose cords."
- 5 an iron hook with a handle; used for landing large fish wordnet
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 A minor error or faux pas, a gaffe.
"We politely ignored his gaff."
- 7 An outcry; nonsense. dated
- 8 A disreputable, low-end theatre. UK, dated, slang
"Significantly, the setting is a gaff, a low, illegal theatre, and not one of the legitimate East-End stages."
- 9 a spar rising aft from a mast to support the head of a quadrilateral fore-and-aft sail wordnet
- 10 A trick or con.
"The sideshow feat was just a gaff, but the audience was too proud to admit they'd been fooled."
- 11 a sharp metal spike or spur that is fastened to the leg of a gamecock wordnet
- 12 The upper spar used to control a gaff-rigged sail.
- 13 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.
"This may sound strange to readers who know little about nudes but many female impersonators, or femme-mimics, work au naturel—except for a gaff, a bra, body makeup, jewelry, and a wig (on their head). See! Semi-nude!!"
Verb
- 1 To use a gaff, especially to land a fish.
"I stepped out and advanced valiantly upon a long-maned bull in the midst of his wives. I was armed with the regular club with which the boat-pullers killed the wounded seals gaffed aboard by the hunters."
- 2 To cheat or hoax.
- 3 To doctor or modify for deceptive purposes. transitive
"When the operator began losing, he gaffed the wheel and then the patron had no chance to win. With his secret device an experienced grifter could stop the wheel at will on any number."
- 4 To gamble, especially by tossing coins. obsolete, slang
- 5 To affix gaffer tape to, or cover with gaffer tape. informal, transitive
"I gaffed down the sleeves to my lens hoods instead of just relying on the drawstring to hold it in place."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"We're meeting at my gaff at 2.30."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "gaff"?
Common synonyms include: abode, attach, capture fish, clamor, fishing hook, gaff hook.
How do you use "gaff" in a sentence?
We're meeting at my gaff at 2.30.
How do you pronounce "gaff"?
Pronounced /ɡæf/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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 sense 5 apparently derives from the idea that the garment tricks or deceives others about the wearer's genitalia.
Etymology 2
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”).
Etymology 3
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”)).