tip the gaff

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word tip the gaff. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word tip the gaff, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say tip the gaff in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word tip the gaff you have here. The definition of the word tip the gaff will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition oftip the gaff, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Verb

tip the gaff (third-person singular simple present tips the gaff, present participle tipping the gaff, simple past and past participle tipped the gaff)

  1. To give away how a magic trick is accomplished.
    • 1989, Calvin Trillin, “A Couple of Eccentric Guys”, in The New Yorker:
      Penn and Teller see their style as rejecting the assumption that “the people in the audience are ignorant savages who will fall at our feet and worship us for performing supernatural miracles.” Penn may enjoy describing the “Penn & Teller” approach to magic as tipping the gaff...
  2. To reveal a disguise or something hidden.
    • 1914: The Smart Set: A Magazine of Cleverness, Volume 42, "The Parasite" by George Bronson-Howard
      Lady! She couldn't disguise herself as a lady with that Slavonic map of hers tipping the gaff, and those heavy hoofs of hers.