Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun An electrician in charge of lighting on a movie or television set.
- noun Chiefly British An old man or a rustic.
- noun Chiefly British A boss or foreman.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun One who gaffs fish: an angler's assistant who with a gaff secures the fish caught. Also
gaffsman . - noun A workman in a glass-factory; a finisher.
- noun An old man: originally a rustic term of respect, used as a title; later applied familiarly to any old man of rustic condition.
- noun In Great Britain, the foreman of a squad of workmen, especially of navvies; an overseer.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun An old fellow; an aged rustic.
- noun Prov. Eng. A foreman or overseer of a gang of laborers.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun film A
chief lighting technician for a motion-picture or television production. - noun A
glassblower . - noun colloquial An old man.
- noun UK A
foreman . - noun An "Old Gaffer" is a sailor.
- noun In Maritime regions "the Little Gaffer" is the baby in the house. (the boss!)
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an electrician responsible for lighting on a movie or tv set
- noun an elderly man
- noun a person who exercises control over workers
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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I've never heard (or at least never noticed) the word gaffer before and I think I'm probably more familiar with British forms than most Americans (not saying much).
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If you've ever watched the credits of a movie you've seen the word "gaffer"---he's the head electrictian on the set.
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The gaffer was a centrehalf and he wasn't bad was he That was a big thing for me hopefully he can make me into a better player.
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'The gaffer was a centre-half and he wasn't bad, was he?
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'The gaffer was a centre-half and he wasn't bad, was he?
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Mr. Chihuly called Mr. Rubino a "gaffer," a term for a glassblower who labors around a furnace at the instruction of an artist.
Archive 2006-06-01 Ann Althouse 2006
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If you're the kind of movie-goer who stays reading end credits until you're playing footsie with the usher, you have probably wondered: "What does a 'gaffer' do?" or, "Who's the 'best boy'?"
Hollywood Hard Hats 2006
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I don't think "gaffer" fits the "respectful form of address to a professional".
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That same night Robert went to call on the "gaffer," Black Jock, and as he neared the door he met Mysie Maitland.
The Underworld The Story of Robert Sinclair, Miner James C. Welsh
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"scorchio" at 1300, and our gaffer is a powerful right-handed all-rounder from Preston who can turn a game with bat or ball.
brtom commented on the word gaffer
"Outside a shuttered pub a bunch of loiterers listen to a tale which their broken snouted gaffer rasps out with raucous humour."
Joyce, Ulysses, 15
January 29, 2007
reesetee commented on the word gaffer
The master craftsman in charge of a chair, or team, of hot-glass workers. A corruption of "grandfather."
November 9, 2007
yarb commented on the word gaffer
Also common British slang for a manager, especially of a football team.
November 9, 2007
sionnach commented on the word gaffer
What I've always wondered about is the relationship between the gaffer and the best boy.
November 9, 2007
yarb commented on the word gaffer
I agree sionnach, and there's often a grip mixed up in there too, which makes it all the queasier.
November 9, 2007
uselessness commented on the word gaffer
Same here. I was meaning to ask the film crew yesterday, when I was surrounded by all manner of gaffers and best boys and grips, but they were frightfully busy (and a little on the rude side). Only one guy took the time to chat with me, and I don't think he would have known anyway.
November 9, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word gaffer
Gaffers are electricians. The grip hauls equipment around and assists with lighting, but doesn't handle electric stuff--rigging and stands, etc. Key grip is the head grip person. The best boy is generally the assistant or helper to either the gaffer or the key grip.
November 9, 2007
reesetee commented on the word gaffer
And none of them blow glass, I'll bet.
November 9, 2007
sionnach commented on the word gaffer
As I understand it from some of your recent posts, reesetee, you need a glory hole for that.
November 9, 2007
reesetee commented on the word gaffer
Yes. Yes you do. And that's all I'm going to say about that.
November 9, 2007
gangerh commented on the word gaffer
The Head of the Lighting department.
August 7, 2008
yarb commented on the word gaffer
On Cobble Road she stopped at Maltby's barn and stood gawking as the old gaffers pitched their ringing horseshoes and spat tobacco juice.
- William Steig, The Amazing Bone
September 29, 2008
knitandpurl commented on the word gaffer
"Propped up against the stonework next to the building's entrance is a gaffer dressed in an antique variant of the Home Guard uniform, involving knickerbockers."
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, p 253 of the Avon Books paperback edition
January 30, 2013
gnarlyerik commented on the word gaffer
"Gaffer" is a also a slang term sometimes used in the sailing community to denote a gaff-rigged sailboat or sailing vessel, often used preceded by the word "old". That's probably because gaff rigs are much less common today than in years past.
April 9, 2023