gaffe


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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:
Noun1.gaffe - a socially awkward or tactless actgaffe - a socially awkward or tactless act  
faux pas, slip, solecism, gaucherie
blooper, blunder, boo-boo, botch, bungle, flub, foul-up, pratfall, bloomer - an embarrassing mistake
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]
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 pata
to 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

gaffe

[ˈgæf] n
(= mistake) → impair m
to commit a gaffe → commettre un impair
to make a gaffe → commettre un impair
to blow the gaffe (British) → vendre la mèche
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

gaffe

[gæf] n → gaffe f inv
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.
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References in periodicals archive ?
PRINCE Charles has been accused of making a serious gaffe after telling a non-white woman, "Well, you don't look like it" when she said she was from Manchester.
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He pre-recorded the interview but decided to air a section of the gaffe.
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The question of how many departments Perry wants to close down produced Perry's most memorable gaffe back in November during a nationally televised debate in Michigan.
Did Perry Mean to Add Interior to His Target List?
THE man behind plans to hive off S4C''s budget to the BBC sparked a new row last night after an "embarrassing gaffe" about Wales.
Culture secretary in 'gaffe' on Wales
While we are on about gaffes, The Journal still doesn't know the difference between a gaffe and a gaff ("Planners' gaff", The Journal, December 11).
Letter: VOICE OF THE NORTH - When Hastings became Halifax
After initially being shocked by the gaffe, she recovered her composure to tell Noel: "You know that's going to end up on YouTube."
NOEL: I AM IN A HOLE
Minister Jeremy Hunt was appearing on Radio 4's Today programme when the first gaffe was made.
YOU NAUGHTIE BOY; Radio 4 James calls Tory MP Jeremy Hunt the C word
GORDO'S gaffe seemed to be the story of the week - and what a gaffe it was.
To be a man of the people,you have to listen to them
LET'S face it, it was just a matter of time before we had a political and very public gaffe in the run up to the election.
Brown gaffe cringeworthy; InsideView
ONE of Plaid Cymru's leading politicians has been accused of a serious gaffe after she appeared to suggest MEP Jill Evans, a fellow party member, had little legislative influence in Europe.
Plaid AM's 'gaffe' over MEP's influence
His most recent gaffe was to urge obese kids to eat pies, not health food.
Boris 'too popular' to dump

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