chaff1
[chaf, chahf]
- the husks of grains and grasses that are separated during threshing.
- straw cut up for fodder.
- worthless matter; refuse.
- the membranous, usually dry, brittle bracts of the flowers of certain plants.
- Also called window. Military. strips of metal foil dropped by an aircraft to confuse enemy radar by creating false blips.
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Origin of chaff1
before 1000; Middle English chaf, Old English ceaf; cognate with Middle Low German, Dutch kaf
chaff2
[chaf, chahf]
- to mock, tease, or jest in a good-natured way; banter: She chaffed him for working late. They joked and chaffed with each other.
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- good-natured ridicule or teasing; raillery.
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Origin of chaff2
First recorded in 1640–50; perhaps from chaff1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
refuseshellremainscrustsharddebrisrubbishdregspodtrashragrazzscoffteasetauntbanterjoshjollyderidefunExamples from the Web for chaff
Contemporary Examples
For CinemaSins, the cookie cutter approach often takes much of the chaff, but leaves behind the wheat.
The Witty Genius of YouTube’s CinemaSins: Everything Wrong with Your Favorite MovieRich Goldstein
April 3, 2014
I say you're no good as an interview because no one is very good at sorting the wheat from the chaff.
Yankees tend to shrug off such numbers as largely the chaff drifting down.
Your miner friends notice the stiffness of your walk and chaff you about it.
This is where working your way through all that chaff gets fun.
Historical Examples
He collected what he wanted grain by grain from bushels of chaff.
The Leopard WomanStewart Edward White
When I had emptied myself of my chaff, I perceived that the time had come.
Questionable ShapesWilliam Dean Howells
All this was only chaff and fun, for all the fairies were in good humor.
Welsh Fairy TalesWilliam Elliott Griffis
A cry of surprise was raised, and drowned in a volley of ribald inquiry and chaff.
The Black BagLouis Joseph Vance
Geoff had to stand some chaff from his friends on the subject of the "darkey," of course.
Great Uncle Hoot-TootMrs. Molesworth
chaff1
- the mass of husks, etc, separated from the seeds during threshing
- finely cut straw and hay used to feed cattle
- something of little worth; rubbish (esp in the phrase separate the wheat from the chaff)
- the dry membranous bracts enclosing the flowers of certain composite plants
- thin strips of metallic foil released into the earth's atmosphere to confuse radar signals and prevent detection
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Word Origin
Old English ceaf; related to Old High German keva husk
chaff2
- light-hearted teasing or joking; banter
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- to tease good-naturedly; banter
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Word Origin
C19: probably slang variant of chafe, perhaps influenced by chaff 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for chaff
n.
"husks," Old English ceaf "chaff," probably from Proto-Germanic *kaf- "to gnaw, chew" (cf. Middle Dutch and Dutch kaf, German Kaff), from PIE root *gep(h)- "jaw, mouth" (see jowl (n.1)). Used figuratively for "worthless material" from late 14c.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper