penny gaff
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English
Alternative forms
Noun
penny gaff (plural penny gaffs)
- (historical) An entertainment in 19th-century England consisting of short theatrical displays such as dancing, singing, clowning, and plays.
- Synonym: dukey
- 2015, Ed Glinert, East End Chronicles, Penguin UK, →ISBN:
- More sophisticated were the penny gaffes where for a id entrance fee entertainment was provided by hairy men, hairless dogs, gorillas, Aztecs and giants.
Further reading
- “Penny gaff” in [John Camden Hotten], The Slang Dictionary , 5th edition, London: Chatto and Windus, 1874, page 250.