# British use of the word "gaffer" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Tags:** middle-earth\ **Created:** [June 4, 2024, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472 "2024-06-04T11:56:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472/1 "2024-06-04T11:56:13Z")
I had heard the word “gaffer” used in the context of film (lighting technician) before I read Tolkien and saw it used in the context of people (well, hobbits, but let’s not quibble). He speaks of hobbit “gaffers and gammers,” which I took from context to mean “old men and old women.” However, on two shows that I watch that are about soccer in the UK (one fiction, one non-fiction), both refer to their coach as “the gaffer.” I’m assuming that’s an extension of the concept that gaffer = old man, but I admit I could be wrong. Do women’s teams call their coaches “gammers”? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472/2 "2024-06-04T12:03:05Z")
From what I understand, it’s just an informal term for the boss in the UK. So a soccer team manager being called the Gaffer makes sense in that context. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472/3 "2024-06-04T12:05:46Z")
Gaffer is a British term for the boss. The word is a corruption of Godfather. I’ve never heard of a female boss called Gammer. > **[gaffer | Search Online Etymology Dictionary](https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=gaffer)** > > The online etymology dictionary (etymonline) is the internet's go-to source for quick and reliable accounts of the origin and history of English words, phrases, and idioms. It is professional enough to satisfy academic standards, but accessible... Strangely, Gammer seems to be a corruption of Grandmother. > **[gammer | Etymology of gammer by etymonline](https://www.etymonline.com/word/gammer)** > > "old woman," 1570s, contraction of grandmother (corresponding to gaffer, but according to… See origin and meaning of gammer. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472/4 "2024-06-04T12:08:36Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Do women’s teams call their coaches “gammers”? **[This site](https://www.etymonline.com/word/gaffer)** and **[this site](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gaffer)** indicate that “gammer” is indeed a female equivalent of “gaffer” (evidently an elision of “godfather”), but **[this site](https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/where-does-gaffer-come-from-word-history)** says the use of “gammer” in the same popularized fashion as “gaffer” is basically unknown. Edit: ninja’d with one of the same citations. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472/5 "2024-06-04T12:10:45Z")
Huh, and I had always assumed it was from “grandfather”. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472/6 "2024-06-04T12:19:57Z")
That’s a common misconception. You’ll find a lot of cites saying that. But the dictionary disagrees. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472/7 "2024-06-04T13:51:58Z")
Just to say that “gaffer” is pretty much outdated now. The “boss” is most likely to be called or referred to as Boss. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472/8 "2024-06-05T06:09:32Z")
In its film technician meaning, we call “gaffer tape” what you call “duct tape”. “Gammer” is long dead. The only usage I know of it is the very early (16th century) play Gammer Gurton’s Needle. A comedy/farce whose hilarity you can guess from the fame of its title. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472/9 "2024-06-05T08:24:19Z")
To expand on the excellent answers above, “gaffer” is your nearest boss, the guy in charge of the relatively small team you work in - a foreman or supervisor (or football manager). The gaffer would usually be an older man of the same social class as you who used to do your job and while he won’t let you take the piss, will also look out for you and the team when management push too hard. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472/10 "2024-06-05T08:36:58Z")
Good point. It wouldn’t be the Suit From Head Office. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472/11 "2024-06-05T08:57:35Z")
As ever, we turn to the sage Cribbins: > “There I was, a-digging this hole > A hole in the ground, so big and sort of round it was > There was I, digging it deep > It was flat at at the bottom and the sides were steep > When along, comes this bloke in a bowler which he lifted and scratched his head > Well we looked down the hole, poor demented soul and he said Do you mind if I make a suggestion? Don’t dig there, dig it elsewhere > Your digging it round and it ought to be square > The shape of it’s wrong, it’s much too long > And you can’t put hole where a hole don’t belong” ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472/12 "2024-06-05T09:05:14Z")
As I understand it, The Gaffer is the boss/ owner of a small firm that operates from a single office/ factory. [The Gaffer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gaffer_(TV_series)) Fred Moffat is a survivor – just. Bearded, wearing a battered hat and a crumpled suit, his [Rover P6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rover_P6) a rusting wreck, he runs a struggling engineering firm and is constantly trying to avoid his creditors, the tax man, the bank manager, and indeed anyone who might want him to pay for something. https://www.youtube.com/embed/FWSy39q_p5M?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472/13 "2024-06-05T09:35:15Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > As ever, we turn to the sage Cribbins Somehow, I knew someone would quote that! ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472/14 "2024-06-05T09:53:07Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > As I understand it, The Gaffer is the boss/ owner of a small firm that operates from a single office/ factory. That would be my understanding. When my Dad owned a small clothing factory, he was known as the Gaffer. In film, the gaffer is the chief electrician/lighting technician. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472/15 "2024-06-05T10:02:32Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > To expand on the excellent answers above, “gaffer” is your nearest boss, the guy in charge of the relatively small team you work in - a foreman or supervisor (or football manager). The gaffer would usually be an older man of the same social class as you who used to do your job and while he won’t let you take the piss, will also look out for you and the team when management push too hard. I was a ‘gaffer’ back in the 90’s; a local supervisor in the transport industry. Stanislaus has it right. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472/16 "2024-06-05T10:53:34Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > As I understand it, The Gaffer is the boss/ owner of a small firm that operates from a single office/ factory. > [@SanVito](#): > > That would be my understanding. When my Dad owned a small clothing factory, he was known as the Gaffer. > [@eburacum45](#): > > I was a ‘gaffer’ back in the 90’s; a local supervisor in the transport industry. I think maybe it’s about proximity. In a small firm, the owner is going to be very hands on, will know all the workers by name, will be the guy who visibly has the biggest impact on the workers’ day to day (e.g. rotas, setting standards etc).In a big firm with multiple layers of management, the owner will be a distant figure and the guy you speak to about compassionate leave, what to do when the supplier doesn’t turn up, whether the hole should be round or square etc. will be technically a supervisor or foreman but still be a gaffer. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472/17 "2024-06-05T11:17:06Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > In its film technician meaning, we call “gaffer tape” what you call “duct tape”. Well, sort of. Gaffer tape is a wide roll like duct tape, and as strong, but it’s also insulative and flexible like electrical tape. And of course, also more expensive than either. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472/18 "2024-06-05T11:45:28Z")
And the etymology of Gaffer Tape is uncertain. Might be related to Gaffer as discussed in this thread, might not be. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472/19 "2024-06-05T12:18:31Z")
The main thing about gaffer tape v. duct tape for me is that gaffer releases much easier from surfaces than duct tape (for me, this is important, as I prefer gaffer tape for most my uses.) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472/20 "2024-06-05T12:20:35Z")
I assume the tape is named after the industry term “gaffer” for the chief electrician on a movie set. They tend to use a lot of tape to keep cords down and the such. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-use-of-the-word-gaffer/1002472.md?page=2)