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Added 9 October 2026

gaffer

/ɡæfɚ/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about gaffer at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

An elderly man.
An electrician responsible for lighting on a movie or tv set.
A person who exercises control over workers.
if you want to leave early you have to ask the foreman

Origin

From gaff (“hook”) + -er. * (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)

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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