gaffer

[gaf-er]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gaffer ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the chief electrician on a motion-picture or television production.

Informal. an old man.

British. a foreman or overseer, especially the boss of a group of physical laborers.

Glassmaking. a master glassblower responsible for shaping glassware.

Origin of gaffer

First recorded in 1565–75; contraction of godfather

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for gaffer

elder, ruler, founder, grandfather, originator, head, author, generator, sire, father, chief, master, architect, senior, ancestor, creator, maker, inventor, gaffer, paterfamilias

Examples from the Web for gaffer

Historical Examples of gaffer

"If your cask is leer, I warrant your purse is full, gaffer," shouted Hordle John.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
What did “she” mean by talking of “Gaffer,” in that strange way?
Clare Avery
Emily Sarah Holt
There were deeper currents than any he had seen at Gaffer Quelch's school.
The Hero of Garside School
J. Harwood Panting
That's the only thing you seem to have brought with you from Gaffer Quelch's.
The Hero of Garside School
J. Harwood Panting
My gaffer, Ole, had done me the honour in the forenoon of losing an 18-lb.
Lines in Pleasant Places
William Senior

British Dictionary definitions for gaffer

gaffer

noun

an old man, esp one living in the country: often used affectionately or patronizinglyCompare gammer

informal, mainly British a boss, foreman, or owner of a factory, mine, etc

the senior electrician on a television or film set

Word Origin for gaffer

C16: alteration of godfather

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for gaffer

1580s, "elderly rustic," apparently a contraction of godfather (cf. gammer); originally "old man," it was applied from 1841 to foremen and supervisors, which sense carried over 20c. to "electrician in charge of lighting on a film set."