different between gaffe vs gaffle

English

Alternative forms

• gaff

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?æf/
• Rhymes: -æf

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

Translations

See also

• malapropism
• Freudian slip
• Bushism

French

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?af/
• Rhymes: -af

Noun 1

gaffe f (plural gaffes)

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

Derived terms

• faire gaffe

Descendants

• ? Portuguese: gafe

Noun 2

gaffe f (plural gaffes)

1. (nautical) boathook

Further reading

• “gaffe” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

German

Pronunciation

Verb

gaffe

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

Italian

Noun

gaffe f

1. plural of gaffa

Noun

gaffe f (invariable)

1. gaffe, blunder, boob

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??æfl?/
• Rhymes: -æf?l

Etymology 1

From Middle English gaffolle, a borrowing from Middle Dutch gaffel, gafel (“fork”), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *gabulu (“fork”), related to Old English gafol, ?eafel (“fork”).

Noun

gaffle (plural gaffles)

1. (obsolete) A lever used to bend a crossbow.
2. A steel spur attached to a gamecock (sometimes used figuratively).
3. (historical, artillery) A portable fork of iron or wood in which the heavy musket formerly in use was rested that it might be accurately aimed and fired.

Verb

gaffle (third-person singular simple present gaffles, present participle gaffling, simple past and past participle gaffled)

1. To equip with a gaffle or similar weapon.

Etymology 2

Blend of gaff +? grapple.

Verb

gaffle (third-person singular simple present gaffles, present participle gaffling, simple past and past participle gaffled)

1. To grab or seize
2. To get hold of, to find.
3. To arrest for criminal activity.
4. To steal
5. To swindle or bully (someone)
6. To talk without a purpose, usually about inane or pointless topics; to babble.

References

• OED 2nd edition 1989 (noun sense)