Blow the Gaff Means to Give Away a Secret
A gaff is a hooked pole for landing fish. British slang uses the word in two unrelated phrases.
A gaff is a pole with a hook for landing large fish, and also a spar supporting the top of a sail. British slang carries two separate uses: *blow the gaff* means to reveal a secret, recorded from about 1800 with an origin that has never been settled, and *gaff* also means a house or place, as in *round my gaff*. A *gaffe*, with an E, is a social blunder and a completely different word, from French.
- A fishing hook. *A landing gaff.*
- A sail spar. *A gaff rig.*
- Blow the gaff — reveal a secret. *Blow the gaff.*
- A house (slang). *Round my gaff.*
- Old French — *gaffe*, a hook. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | gaff | A gaff. |
| Plural | gaffs | Gaffs. |
| Verb | gaff | Gaffed. |
| Compound | gaff rig | A gaff rig. |
| Different word | gaffe | A gaffe. |
- He landed the salmon with a gaff.Fishing.
- She blew the gaff on the plan.Slang.
- A gaffe is a blunder.Different word.
Gaff and gaffe
- Gaff — a hooked pole, from Old French
- Gaffe — a social blunder, from modern French
- Gaffer — a foreman, or a film lighting chief
- Gaffer tape — named after the lighting gaffer
- Only the spelling connects the first two
Old French *gaffe*, a boat hook, of Provençal origin.
What does blow the gaff mean?
To reveal a secret. The phrase is British, recorded from about 1800, and its origin has never been settled.
Is a gaffe the same word?
No. A gaffe, meaning a blunder, comes separately from modern French and shares only the sound.