chaff
Preserved but no longer current.
To gammon, joke, quiz, or praise ironically. Originally "to queer" represented our modern word "CHAFF." CHAFF-bone, the jaw-bone.—Yorkshire. CHAFF, jesting. In Anglo-Saxon, CEAF is chaff; and CEAFL, bill, beak, or jaw. In the Ancren Riwle, A.D. 1221, CEAFLE is used in the sense of idle discourse.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “chaff” mean?
To gammon, joke, quiz, or praise ironically. Originally "to queer" represented our modern word "CHAFF." CHAFF-bone, the jaw-bone.—Yorkshire. CHAFF, jesting. In Anglo-Saxon, CEAF is chaff; and CEAFL, bill, beak, or jaw. In the Ancren Riwle, A.D. 1221, CEAFLE is used in the sense of idle discourse.
Is “chaff” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.