Gaffer - plus, trending lookups galore!

[Merriam-Webster]( WORD OF THE DAY [August 14, 2018](#none) gaffer [Audio pronunciation]( noun | GAF-er Definition 1 : an old man — compare [gammer]( 2 a British : [foreman](, [overseer]( b British : [employer]( 3 : a head glassblower 4 : a lighting electrician on a motion-picture or television set Scroll down for more about gaffer TRENDING NOW: [sequacious]( [inadmissible]( [oligarch]( [pejorative]( [SEE ALL [>]]( PEOPLE ARE READING # [The Difference Between Dependent and Independent Clauses]( # ['Cliché': We’ve Heard It All Before]( # [Some Notes On 'Asshat']( # [A Few Rounds with 'Happy Hour']( WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE [The Eponym Quiz]( Do you know these words that come from names? [PLAY NOW]( Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try! [TAKE ME THERE [>]]( Did You Know? 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 Before the first day of shooting, the gaffer spent several days setting up all the lights. "There were no gaffers or [best boys]( or [Foley]( artists who called Wilmington home. Many folks didn't even know what all those words meant." — Amy Hotz, The Star-News (Wilmington, North Carolina), 11 May 2018 Test Your Vocabulary What 4-letter word beginning with "g" refers to a worker who handles scenery, lights, or equipment on a stage or a motion-picture or television set? [VIEW THE ANSWER [>]]( MERCH Show Your Wordie Pride! New swag now available — featuring our newly added words welp and wordie [CHECK OUT OUR SELECTION [>]]( MORE WORD FUN: [WORD GAMES [>]]( [TRENDING NOW [>]]( [WORDS AT PLAY [>]]( FOLLOW US: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( [Pinterest]( SHARE: [Facebook][Facebook]( [Twitter][Twitter]( [View this email in a web browser]( You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day. [Unsubscribe from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day]( [Manage your subscription settings]( Merriam-Webster, Inc. 47 Federal Street P.O. Box 281 Springfield, MA 01102 [www.merriam-webster.com](