gaffe
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
gaffe
a social blunder; faux pas: His sudden outburst of anger was an unfortunate gaffe.
Not to be confused with:
gaff – a metal hook fastened to a pole; to cheat; fleece; harsh treatment or criticism: All the gaff he had to take made him even more reclusive.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
gaffe
(găf)n.
1. A clumsy social error; a faux pas: "The excursion had in his eyes been a monstrous gaffe, a breach of sensibility and good taste" (Mary McCarthy).
2. A blatant mistake or misjudgment.
[French, from Old French, hook; see gaff1.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
gaffe
(ɡæf)n
a social blunder, esp a tactless remark
[C19: from French]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
gaffe
(gæf)n.
a social blunder; faux pas.
[1905–10; < French: blunder, probably figurative use of gaffe gaff1]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  gaffe - a socially awkward or tactless act |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
gaffe
noun blunder, mistake, error, indiscretion, lapse, boob (Brit. slang), slip-up (informal), slip, howler, bloomer (informal), clanger (informal), faux pas, boo-boo (informal), solecism, gaucherie He made an embarrassing gaffe at the convention last weekend.
Quotations
"A gaffe is when a politician tells the truth" [Michael Kinsley]
"A gaffe is when a politician tells the truth" [Michael Kinsley]
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
خَطَأ فاضِح
гафгрешка
botachybašlápnutí vedle
bommertbrøler
möhläysmokamunaus
háttleysa, klaufaskapur
išsišokimasneapdairumas
kļūmenepiedienīga izturēšanās
çam devirmegaf
gaffe
[gæf] N → plancha f (Sp), metedura f or (LAm) metida f de patato make a gaffe → meter la pata, tirarse una plancha (Sp)
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
gaffe
n → Fauxpas m; (verbal) → taktlose Bemerkung; to make a gaffe → einen Fauxpas begehen; (by saying sth) → ins Fettnäpfchen treten (inf)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
gaffe
(gӕf) noun something which ought not to have been said, done etc, a blunder.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.