What does gaffe mean?
Word: Gaffe
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Gaffe means an embarrassing mistake made in public or in company, often by saying the wrong thing.
Synonyms: slip
Sounds like: gaff (a hooked pole for lifting large fish from the water)
How do you spell gaffe?
Syllables: gaffe
Tricky part: The silent e at the end is the part people forget, because the word sounds complete without it. Leave it off and you have a different word, one that names a fishing tool.
Watch out for: gafe, gaphe
Memory tip: Picture spilling tea all over a table in a French cafe. That is a gaffe, and both words finish with e.
Gaffe in a sentence
Example 1: Calling the chief guest by the wrong name was an awful gaffe.
Example 2: Neha realised her gaffe the moment she mentioned the surprise party in front of Dev.
Example 3: The new anchor made a small gaffe on air and laughed it off.
Fun Fact
English borrowed this word from French, where faire une gaffe means to put your foot in it. The same French word also names a boathook.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
One word in this sentence is misspelt. Find it:
The young host made a gaffe at the prize-giving ceremony by congradulating the wrong student on winning the painting competition.
a) competition
b) congradulating
c) gaffe
d) ceremony
Show answer
b) congradulating. Speech can soften the sound to a d, but the spelling keeps a t.
Mingle-Mangle
The jumbled word in the sentence hides a real word. Choose it:
Wearing shorts to the formal dinner was a fgefa that Arjun would laugh about for years.
a) gaffe
b) grace
c) gauge
d) graft
Show answer
a) gaffe. Only these letters, with their pair of f's, give a word for a social slip.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is misspelt. Choose the meaning of that word:
1. embarrass 2. gaffe 3. collegue 4. etiquette
a) an awkward slip made among others
b) to make someone feel awkward
c) a person you work with
d) the rules of polite behaviour
Show answer
c) a person you work with. Colleague keeps an a before its final gue.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word gaffe as used in the sentence:
The speaker's gaffe about the school's founding year made the whole hall giggle.
a) triumph
b) rumour
c) blunder
d) riddle
Show answer
c) blunder. A blunder is a careless and foolish mistake.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. At a farewell party, what would count as a gaffe?
a) thanking the teacher for years of hard work
b) presenting the teacher with a large bouquet
c) asking the retiring teacher how old she really is
d) reading out a poem written for the teacher
Show answer
c) asking the retiring teacher how old she really is
2. After making a gaffe, the most sensible step is usually to ____
a) repeat the remark more loudly
b) leave at once without a word
c) blame everyone else in the room
d) apologise lightly and move on
Show answer
d) apologise lightly and move on
