Jaffa
/ˈd͡ʒɑfə/ name, noun, slang
name, noun, slang ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A Jaffa orange. informal
"They were together, at the flicks on Saturday night, eating Jaffas and smiling at each other occasionally in the dark."
- 2 A type of sweet orange, normally seedless.
- 3 An impotent or infertile male. slang
- 4 A ball that is very difficult for the batsman to hit because it moves erratically either through the air or off the pitch
Proper Noun
- 1 A port in western Israel.
Example
More examples"He has a phobia of Jaffa Cakes."
Etymology
Etymology 1
Etymology tree Biblical Hebrew יָפוֹ (yāfō)bor. Arabic يَافَا (yāfā)bor. English Jaffa Borrowed from Arabic يَافَا (yāfā), borrowed from Biblical Hebrew יָפוֹ (yāfō).
Etymology 2
From Jaffa, an ancient port city in what is now Israel from which the oranges were exported. The sense "impotent male" is a reference to being "seedless"; see seed. The cricketing sense, of a 'sweet ball' (from the bowler's perspective), is a metaphor further reinforced in Australian English where Jaffa is also a trademark for a popular lolly that is red and round.