gaffer

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See also: Gaffer

English

Etymology 1

From gaff (“hook”) +‎ -er.

  • (cinema): The natural lighting on early film sets was adjusted by opening and closing flaps in the tent cloths, called gaff cloths or gaff flaps.
  • (glass): (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

Noun

gaffer (plural gaffers)

  1. (film) A chief lighting technician for a motion-picture or television production.
  2. A glassblower.
    • 2003, Jennifer Bosveld, Glass Works, page 18:
      The apprentice carries a gather of glass on the blowpipe to the gaffer's bench
  3. Someone aboard a boat whose duty is to gaff a (large) fish once the angler has reeled it in.
Derived terms
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Etymology 2

Likely a contraction of godfather, but with the vowels influenced by grandfather. Compare French compère, German Gevatter.

Noun

gaffer (plural gaffers)

  1. (colloquial) An old person, usually a man.
    • 1845, Thomas Cooper, The Purgatory of Suicides, Book the Fourth, Stanza IX:
      If thou return not, Gammer o'er her pail
      Will sing in sorrow, 'neath the brinded cow,
      And Gaffer sigh over his nut-brown ale
  2. (UK, informal) The leader of a group or team, such as a boss, foreman, coach, or publican.
    • 2022, Liam McIlvanney, The Heretic, page 117:
      And you're here to tell me what's what. Just like your bloody gaffer promised.
  3. A sailor.
  4. (Canada) The baby in the house.
Synonyms
Translations

References

Anagrams

French

Etymology

From gaffe +‎ -er. Sense of gaffer-taping from English gaffer tape.

Pronunciation

Verb

gaffer

  1. to make a gaffe; to mess up; botch up
  2. to gaffer tape

Conjugation

Conjugation of gaffer (see also Appendix:French verbs)
infinitive simple gaffer
compound avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1 simple gaffant
/ɡa.fɑ̃/
compound ayant + past participle
past participle gaffé
/ɡa.fe/
singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative je (j’) tu il, elle, on nous vous ils, elles
(simple
tenses) 		present gaffe
/ɡaf/ 		gaffes
/ɡaf/ 		gaffe
/ɡaf/ 		gaffons
/ɡa.fɔ̃/ 		gaffez
/ɡa.fe/ 		gaffent
/ɡaf/
imperfect gaffais
/ɡa.fɛ/ 		gaffais
/ɡa.fɛ/ 		gaffait
/ɡa.fɛ/ 		gaffions
/ɡa.fjɔ̃/ 		gaffiez
/ɡa.fje/ 		gaffaient
/ɡa.fɛ/
past historic2 gaffai
/ɡa.fe/ 		gaffas
/ɡa.fa/ 		gaffa
/ɡa.fa/ 		gaffâmes
/ɡa.fam/ 		gaffâtes
/ɡa.fat/ 		gaffèrent
/ɡa.fɛʁ/
future gafferai
/ɡa.fʁe/ 		gafferas
/ɡa.fʁa/ 		gaffera
/ɡa.fʁa/ 		gafferons
/ɡa.fʁɔ̃/ 		gafferez
/ɡa.fʁe/ 		gafferont
/ɡa.fʁɔ̃/
conditional gafferais
/ɡa.fʁɛ/ 		gafferais
/ɡa.fʁɛ/ 		gafferait
/ɡa.fʁɛ/ 		gafferions
/ɡa.fə.ʁjɔ̃/ 		gafferiez
/ɡa.fə.ʁje/ 		gafferaient
/ɡa.fʁɛ/
(compound
tenses) 		present perfect present indicative of avoir + past participle
pluperfect imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
past anterior2 past historic of avoir + past participle
future perfect future of avoir + past participle
conditional perfect conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive que je (j’) que tu qu’il, qu’elle que nous que vous qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple
tenses) 		present gaffe
/ɡaf/ 		gaffes
/ɡaf/ 		gaffe
/ɡaf/ 		gaffions
/ɡa.fjɔ̃/ 		gaffiez
/ɡa.fje/ 		gaffent
/ɡaf/
imperfect2 gaffasse
/ɡa.fas/ 		gaffasses
/ɡa.fas/ 		gaffât
/ɡa.fa/ 		gaffassions
/ɡa.fa.sjɔ̃/ 		gaffassiez
/ɡa.fa.sje/ 		gaffassent
/ɡa.fas/
(compound
tenses) 		past present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
pluperfect2 imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative – tu – nous vous –
simple — gaffe
/ɡaf/ 		— gaffons
/ɡa.fɔ̃/ 		gaffez
/ɡa.fe/ 		—
compound — simple imperative of avoir + past participle — simple imperative of avoir + past participle simple imperative of avoir + past participle —
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way:
past historic → present perfect
past anterior → pluperfect
imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive
pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive

(Christopher Kendris , Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Noun

gaffer m (plural gaffers)

  1. gaffer tape
    Alternative form: gaffeur

Further reading

Norman

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

Verb

gaffer

  1. (Jersey) to grasp

Welsh

Pronunciation

Verb

gaffer

  1. soft mutation of caffer

Mutation

Mutated forms of caffer
radical soft nasal aspirate
caffer gaffer nghaffer chaffer

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

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