gaff
1 of 5noun (1)
ˈgaf 
1
a
: a handled hook for holding or lifting heavy fish
b
: a spear or spearhead for taking fish or turtles
c
: a metal spur for a gamecock
d
: a butcher's hook
e
: a climbing iron or its steel point
2
: the spar (see spar entry 1 sense 2a) on which the head of a fore-and-aft sail is extended
3
: gaffe
gaff
2 of 5verb (1)
gaffed; gaffing; gaffs
transitive verb
1
: to strike or secure with a spear or hook
gaff a salmon
2
: to fit (a gamecock) with a metal spur
gaff
3 of 5noun (2)
1
a
: something painful or difficult to bear : ordeal —usually used in the phrase stand the gaff
especially : persistent raillery or criticism
b
: rough treatment : abuse
2
a
: hoax, fraud
b
: gimmick, trick
gaff
4 of 5verb (2)
gaffed; gaffing; gaffs
transitive verb
1
: deceive, trick
also : fleece
2
: to fix for the purpose of cheating
gaff the dice
gaff
5 of 5noun (3)
British
: a cheap theater or music hall
Synonyms
Noun (1)
- familiarity
- faux pas
- gaffe
- impropriety
- indiscretion
- solecism
Verb (2)
- bamboozle
- beguile
- bluff
- buffalo
- burn
- catch
- con
- cozen
- deceive
- delude
- dupe
- fake out
- fool
- gammon
- gull
- have
- have on [chiefly British]
- hoax
- hoodwink
- hornswoggle
- humbug
- juggle
- misguide
- misinform
- mislead
- snooker
- snow
- spoof
- string along
- suck in
- sucker
- take in
- trick
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
borrowed from French gaffe, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Old Occitan gaf, probably derivative of gafar "to seize," of obscure origin
Note: Middle English gaffe, occurring in the early 14th-century "Kildare Poems" (British Library MS Harley 913) and glossed "iron hook" in the Middle English Dictionary, is of uncertain relation to the modern word. It predates attestations of the word in French.
Verb (1)
derivative of gaff entry 1
Noun (2)
of obscure origin
Verb (2)
probably derivative of gaff entry 3
Noun (3)
of obscure origin
First Known Use
Noun (1)
circa 1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1b
Verb (1)
1844, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun (2)
1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb (2)
1933, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun (3)
1812, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing gaff
gaffs 1 of 2
noun
1
as in blunders
a socially improper or unsuitable act or remark you can expect to make some amusing gaffs until you get more familiar with the language Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- blunders
- mistakes
- gaffes
- errors
- indiscretions
- solecisms
- improprieties
- offences
- flubs
- familiarities
- faux pas
- miscues
- goofs
- missteps
- fumbles
- slipups
- offenses
- oversights
- discourtesies
- stumbles
- lapses
- howlers
- incivilities
- misstatements
- miscalculations
- misjudgments
- slips
- misconceptions
- boners
- misunderstandings
- foul-ups
- misapprehensions
- muffs
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- gestures
- courtesies
- amenities
- formalities
- pleasantries
- attentions
- manners
- forms
- civilities
- mores
- proprieties
2
as in mistakes
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy double-check the new writer's grammar, as it's typically riddled with gaffs Synonyms & Similar Words
- mistakes
- blunders
- errors
- gaffes
- flubs
- fumbles
- miscues
- inaccuracies
- goofs
- missteps
- trips
- clangers
- stumbles
- screwups
- bobbles
- slipups
- bricks
- oversights
- faults
- boobs
- lapses
- bloopers
- boo-boos
- pratfalls
- clinkers
- fluffs
- slips
- snafus
- howlers
- misstatements
- miscalculations
- misunderstandings
- misjudgments
- misinterpretations
- boners
- misconceptions
- misreadings
- foul-ups
- misconstructions
- bloomers
- misapprehensions
- misimpressions
- misdescriptions
- miscomprehensions
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- precisions
- accuracies
- exactitudes
- perfections
- infallibilities
- inerrancies
gaffs
2 of 2verb
1
as in tricks
to cause to believe what is untrue a sleazy schemer who gaffed gullible people into thinking they could get rich with a money-making opportunity Synonyms & Similar Words
- tricks
- fools
- deceives
- hoaxes
- kids
- suckers
- spoofs
- dupes
- stings
- humbugs
- teases
- gammons
- juggles
- bluffs
- gulls
- cons
- catches
- snookers
- hoodwinks
- strings along
- deludes
- cozens
- cheats
- bamboozles
- snows
- misleads
- misinforms
- buffaloes
- has
- burns
- sucks in
- has on
- misguides
- beguiles
- hornswoggles
- takes in
- sticks
- fakes out
- does a number on
- swindles
- chisels
- leads one down the garden path
- pulls one's leg
- leads one up the garden path
- pulls the wool over one's eyes
- rooks
- mulcts
- hustles
- fleeces
- skins
- diddles
- bleeds
- flimflams
- defrauds
- shortchanges
- puts on
- euchres
- squeezes
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- reveals
- exposes
- unmasks
- uncovers
- debunks
- undeceives
- divulges
- discloses
- shows up
- disillusions
- unveils
- tells
- disabuses
- uncloaks
- disenchants
2
as in stings
to rob by the use of trickery or threats the operators of the traveling carnival had gaffed patrons with a variety of time-honored ruses Synonyms & Similar Words
- stings
- cheats
- hustles
- sticks
- screws
- plucks
- squeezes
- tricks
- beats
- does
- fiddles
- swindles
- suckers
- shorts
- chisels
- reams
- exploits
- rooks
- cons
- bleeds
- stiffs
- mulcts
- skins
- hoses
- fleeces
- fools
- deceives
- cozens
- nobbles
- skunks
- rips off
- clips
- flimflams
- victimizes
- defrauds
- wrenches
- shortchanges
- diddles
- chouses
- shakes down
- nicks
- bilks
- sells a bill of goods to
- takes to the cleaners
- thimblerigs
- gouges
- euchres
- betrays
- takes for a ride
- overcharges
- dupes
- does in
- gulls
- extorts
- milks
- bitches
- soaks
- wrings
- wrests
- double-crosses
- bamboozles
- fast-talks
- ropes (in)
- self-deceiver
- self-deceivers
- self-deceives
- self-deceiving
- self-deception
- self-deceptions
- self-deceptive
- self-dedication
- self-defeating
- self-defense
- self-defensive
- self-definition
- self-delight
- self-deluded
- self-deluding
- self-delusion
- self-delusions
- self-den
- self-denial
- self-denials
- self-denied
- self-denier
- self-denigrating
- self-denigration
- self-denigrations