What does gaff mean?
Gaff is a term drawn from the world of boats and fishing, but it carries several distinct meanings. Most commonly it refers to a sturdy hook mounted on a long pole, used by anglers to secure and land large fish once they have been reeled close to the boat. In sailing, a gaff is a spar attached to the upper edge of a four-sided fore-and-aft sail; this arrangement, known as gaff rig, was standard on working craft and remains beloved of traditional yacht sailors. In Britain, 'gaff' has additionally become informal slang for someone's home, as in 'come round to my gaff', making it a familiar word in everyday conversation as well as maritime life. The related word 'gaffe' — an embarrassing social blunder — is frequently confused with it despite sharing only a name-like resemblance. Whether as tool, spar, or shorthand for home, gaff is a compact word with a surprisingly rich range of uses.
A strong hook on a pole used for lifting large fish into a boat; also, the spar extending the head of a fore-and-aft sail.
"The deckhand readied the gaff as the marlin came alongside."
In British slang, 'gaff' also informally means one's home or dwelling.
To hook a fish with a gaff in order to land it.
"They gaffed the cod and swung it aboard."
The verb is chiefly used in angling contexts.
The plural applies to multiple implements or spars; it is rare outside technical or fishing contexts.
"Two gaffs hung ready on the rail of the trawler."
One word, two utterly different worlds at sea: a bloody hook for landing prize fish, and the spar that gives classic yachts their distinctive gaff-rigged silhouette.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of gaff
The origin of 'gaff' is somewhat obscure; it appears in English usage from around the early seventeenth century and is often linked to Old French 'gaffe', itself connected to words meaning a hook. Its earliest documented sense was the hooked implement for landing fish, with the nautical spar sense developing alongside it in the age of sail. The related terms 'gaffer' (an old man, later a foreman or fishing-boat master) and 'gaffe' (a blunder) grew out of the same loose family of hook-derived vocabulary, though their exact interconnections remain debated among etymologists.
Related word forms
How gaff is actually used
In angling contexts 'to gaff' means to hook a fish with the implement; in informal British speech 'gaff' colloquially refers to one's home or flat, a usage entirely separate from the nautical meanings. The verb form 'gaff' (hooking a fish) exists alongside the noun.
Easily confused with gaff
A gaff is a physical hooked tool or ship's spar, while a gaffe is an embarrassing social blunder or mistake.