gaffing

[gaf] Origin

gaff

1[gaf]
noun
1.
an iron hook with a handle for landing large fish.
2.
the spur on a climbing iron, especially as used by telephone linemen.
3.
Nautical. a spar rising aft from a mast to support the head of a quadrilateral fore-and-aft sail (gaff sail).
4.
a metal spur for a gamecock.
verb (used with object)
5.
to hook or land (a fish) with a gaff.

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Gaffing is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.

Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English < Middle French gaffe, gaff < Provençal gaf hook, gaff, noun derivative of gafar to seize (compare Medieval Latin gaffare), probably < Germanic (Visigothic) *gaff-, perhaps derivative from base of Gothic giban give
Dictionary.com Unabridged

gaff

3[gaf]
verb (used with object)
1.
Slang. to cheat; fleece.
verb (used without object)
2.
British Slang. to gamble, especially to indulge in petty gambling, as to toss coins.

Origin:
1745–55; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To gaffing
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

gaff
"loud, rude talk," 1825, from Scottish dialect, perhaps a survival of O.E. gafspraec "blasphemous or ribald speech," or from gaff (1), and cf. gaffe.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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