gaffer
See also: Gaffer
English edit
Etymology 1 edit
- (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 edit
- (General American) IPA(key): /ɡæfɚ/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ɡæfə/
Audio (Southern England) (file) - Rhymes: -æfə(ɹ)
Noun edit
gaffer (plural gaffers)
- (film) A chief lighting technician for a motion-picture or television production.
- A glassblower.
- 2003, Jennifer Bosveld, Glass Works, page 18:
- The apprentice carries a gather of glass on the blowpipe to the gaffer's bench […]
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
chief lighting technician
|
glassblower — see glassblower
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Etymology 2 edit
Likely a contraction of godfather, but with the vowels influenced by grandfather. Compare French compère, German Gevatter.
Noun edit
gaffer (plural gaffers)
- (colloquial) An old 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 […]
- (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.
- A sailor.
- (Canada) The baby in the house.
Synonyms edit
- See also Thesaurus:old man
Related terms edit
Translations edit
old man
|
foreman
baby — see baby
References edit
- “gaffer”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1989.
Anagrams edit
French edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
Audio (file)
Verb edit
gaffer
- to make a gaffe; to mess up; botch up
- to gaffer tape
Conjugation edit
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 | – | – | – | ||||
| 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:
(Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81). | |||||||
Further reading edit
- “gaffer”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Norman edit
Etymology edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronunciation edit
Audio (Jersey) (file)
Verb edit
gaffer
Welsh edit
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
gaffer
- Soft mutation of caffer.
Mutation edit
| Welsh mutation | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| radical | soft | nasal | aspirate |
| caffer | gaffer | nghaffer | chaffer |
| Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. | |||