Gaffer (boss)

Gaffer (boss)

In colloquial British English gaffer means a foreman, and is used as a synonym for "boss". In the UK the term is commonly used to refer to sports coaches (football, rugby, etc).

The term is also sometimes used colloquially to refer to an old man, an elderly rustic, and can be used as a prefix to the name (as in Gaffer Gamgee in "The Lord of the Rings"). The word is probably a shortening of "godfather", with "ga" from association with "grandfather". The female equivalent was "Gammer", which came to colloquially refer to an old lady or gossip. [The Concise Oxford Dictionary, 5th Edition, OUP 1964]

In 16th Century English, the term "gaffer" denoted a man who was the head of any organized group of labourers. In 16th and 17th century rural England it was used as a title slightly inferior to "Master", similar to "Goodman", and was not confined to elderly men. The chorus of a famous Australian shearer's song, "The Backblocks' Shearer" (also known as "Widgegoeera Joe"), written by W. Tully at Nimidgee, NSW (c.1900), refers to a gaffer:::Hurrah, me boys, my shears are set,::I feel both fit and well;::Tomorrow you’ll find me at my pen::When the gaffer rings the bell.::With Hayden's patent thumb guards fixed::And both my blades pulled back;::Tomorrow I go with my sardine blow::For a century or the sack!

*In glassblowing, a gaffer is the central figure in the creation of a piece of art. For example, At the Corning Glass Works in Corning, New York, a gaffer is a skilled artisan who blows through a long tube to shape molten glass into a variety of useful and/or artistic objects. A business district of Corning has been named "The Gaffer District" in honor of these artisans.

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gaffer — or Gaffa may refer to: * Gaffer (boss), a British colloquial term for boss or old man * Gaffer (motion picture industry), the head of the electrical department * Gaffer tape, a type of adhesive tape * Gaffer, character in the Muppets * Gaffa… …   Wikipedia

  • Boss — NoTOC Boss may refer to: Persons with the surname Boss* Hugo Boss (1885–1948), fashion designer * Isaac Boss (born 1980), Irish rugby union player * Lewis Boss (1846–1912), American astronomerThings* Boss (architecture), a protruding stone, often …   Wikipedia

  • gaffer — ► NOUN Brit. 1) informal an old man. 2) informal a boss. 3) the chief electrician in a film or television production unit. ORIGIN probably a contraction of GODFATHER(Cf. ↑godfather) …   English terms dictionary

  • gaffer —    In modern times a British worker might say: ‘You’d better see the gaffer about that’, meaning that it is necessary to consult the boss. He might also, in a public house, ask where the gaffer is tonight, referring to the landlord. Such… …   A dictionary of epithets and terms of address

  • gaffer — I Australian Slang 1. old man; old bloke: some silly old gaffer ; 2. foreman or boss; 3. cigarette (variant of late Middle English godfar (contracted form of godfather )) II Yorkshire Dialect Boss, Foreman …   English dialects glossary

  • gaffer — n a. a boss. A rustic term of address or descriptive word for an old man or master current in Britain since the 16th century, gaffer is a contraction of grandfather . It is still widely used, particularly by working class speakers. If I were you… …   Contemporary slang

  • gaffer — [[t]gæ̱fə(r)[/t]] gaffers N COUNT: usu the N in sing; N VOC People use gaffer to refer to the the person in charge of the workers at a place of work such as a factory. [BRIT, INFORMAL] The gaffer said he d been fined for not doing the contract on …   English dictionary

  • Gaffer — 1. old man; old bloke: some silly old gaffer ; 2. foreman or boss; 3. cigarette (variant of late Middle English godfar (contracted form of godfather )) …   Dictionary of Australian slang

  • boss — 1. informal; noun the boss of a large company Syn: head, chief, principal, director, president, chief executive, chair, manager, supervisor, foreman, overseer, controller, employer, owner, proprietor; …   Synonyms and antonyms dictionary

  • boss — Synonyms and related words: A per se, Big Brother, OK, ace, ace high, administrator, anaglyph, ascendant, at the head, auditor, bad, bang up, bas relief, big cheese, bilge, blain, bleb, blister, blob, boatswain, bonzer, bow, bubble, bulb, bulge,… …   Moby Thesaurus

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”