Hypertext Webster Gateway: "gaffer"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Gaffer \Gaf"fer\, n. [Possibly contr. fr. godfather; but prob.
fr. gramfer for grandfather. Cf. {Gammer}.]
1. An old fellow; an aged rustic.
Go to each gaffer and each goody. --Fawkes.
Note: Gaffer was originally a respectful title, now
degenerated into a term of familiarity or contempt when
addressed to an aged man in humble life.
2. A foreman or overseer of a gang of laborers. [Prov. Eng.]
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
gaffer
n 1: an elderly man [syn: {old-timer}, {mossback}, {old geezer},
{antique}]
2: an electrician responsible for lighting on a movie or tv set
3: a person who exercises control over workers; "if you want to
leave early you have to ask the foreman" [syn: {foreman},
{chief}, {honcho}, {boss}]
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