gaffe

Alternative forms

• gaff

Etymology

From French gaffe (“blunder”). Doublet of gaff.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ɡæf/
• Rhymes: -æf
• Homophone: gaff

Noun

gaffe (plural gaffes)

1. A foolish and embarrassing error, especially one made in public.

   Synonyms: blooper, blunder, mistake, error, slip, slip-up; see also Thesaurus:error

   make a gaffe

See also

• malapropism
• Freudian slip
• Bushism

Etymology

From Old Occitan gaf (“clasp”), from Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍆𐌰𐌷 (gafah, “clasp”, noun), from 𐌲𐌰- (ga-, intensifier) + 𐍆𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽 (fahan, “to catch”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡaf/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -af

Noun

gaffe f (plural gaffes)

1. gaffe, blunder, goof-up (North American), cock-up (British)

Noun

gaffe f (plural gaffes)

1. (nautical) boathook

Further reading

• “gaffe”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

gaffe

1. inflection of gaffen:
   1. first-person singular present
   2. singular imperative
   3. first/third-person singular subjunctive I

Pronunciation 1

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡaf.fe/
• Rhymes: -affe
• Hyphenation: gàf‧fe

Pronunciation 2

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡaf/
• Rhymes: -af