In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
GAFF
gaff
(noun) an iron hook with a handle; used for landing large fish
gaff
(noun) a spar rising aft from a mast to support the head of a quadrilateral fore-and-aft sail
gaff
(noun) a sharp metal spike or spur that is fastened to the leg of a gamecock
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Noun
gaff (countable and uncountable, plural gaffs)
A tool consisting of a large metal hook with a handle or pole, especially the one used to pull large fish aboard a boat.
Synonym: hakapik
A minor error or faux pas, a gaffe.
A trick or con.
(nautical) The upper spar used to control a gaff-rigged sail.
A garment worn to hide the genitals.
(informal, uncountable) Clipping of gaffer tape.
Verb
gaff (third-person singular simple present gaffs, present participle gaffing, simple past and past participle gaffed)
To use a gaff, especially to land a fish.
To cheat or hoax.
(slang) To gamble.
(informal) To affix or cover with gaffer tape.
Etymology 2
Noun
gaff
Rough or harsh treatment; criticism.
(dated) An outcry; nonsense.
Etymology 3
Noun
gaff (plural gaffs)
(British, especially, Manchester and Cockney, Irish, slang) A place of residence.
Anagrams
• aff'g
Proper noun
Gaff (plural Gaffs)
A surname.
Statistics
• According to the 2010 United States Census, Gaff is the 25226th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 982 individuals. Gaff is most common among White (95.62%) individuals.
Anagrams
• aff'g
Source: Wiktionary
Gaff, n. Etym: [OE. gaffe, F. gaffe an iron hook with which seamen pull great fishes into their ships; cf. Ir. gaf, gafa hook; perh. akin to G. gabel fork, Skr. gabhasti. CF. Gaffle, Gable.]
1. A barbed spear or a hook with a handle, used by fishermen in securing heavy fish.
2. (Naut.)
Definition: The spar upon which the upper edge of a fore-and-aft sail is extended.
3. Same as Gaffle, 1. Wright.
Gaff, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Gaffed; p. pr. & vb. n. Gaffing.]
Definition: To strike with a gaff or barbed spear; to secure by means of a gaff; as, to gaff a salmon.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
22 February 2025
ANALYSIS
(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., ‘the father of the bride’ instead of ‘the bride’s father’
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