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Though movie and cinema buffs associate gaffer with Hollywood, the word actually pre-dates motion pictures by about 300 years. The first recorded use of gaffer dates from the 16th century, when it was used as a title of respect for an older gentleman. Later it was used as a generic noun for any elderly man, and then it picked up the sense "foreman" (still used in British English), perhaps because the foreman was the most experienced and, most likely, the oldest person in a work crew. Today gaffer is usually applied to the head lighting electrician on a movie set. The gaffer's assistant is called the best boy.
Examples of gaffer in a Sentence
Abigail Lee, Variety, 11 June 2025
Last Looks — The final chance for hair & makeup, costume design, gaffers, and production design to make adjustments before commencing a take.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 17 May 2025
Barn Doors — Important for gaffers, this denotes the four metal slides on the front of light kits used to direct or position light.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 17 May 2025
Hollywood cinema has ever been a medium of self-reflexivity, mining its own art and business for story material, so the latest depiction of above-the-line talent — oddly, there is a paucity of films about gaffers, best boys, or foley artists — is part of a venerable tradition.
—Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gaffer
Cite this Entry
“Gaffer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gaffer. Accessed 25 Jun. 2025.
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