Gaff
/ɡæf/noun
A hook or barbed pole used for landing fish, or a slang term for a home or a mistake.
Did you know?The fishing-tool sense is the older one, and the word likely entered English through nautical slang from French and/or related Germanic forms, while the “home” meaning later became British slang for a place you live.
Etymological Timeline
Early Modern English
English
gaff
“a hooked pole used to haul fish or other objects”
18th Century
English
gaff
“slang for a house, room, or place of residence”
18th–19th Century
English
gaff
“a blunder or social blunder, especially in British English”
Uncertain; possibly Middle French / Low German
MF/Low German
gaffe / gaff
“a hook, barbed implement, or pole for catching or lifting”