gaffer

n.

1. An electrician in charge of lighting on a movie or television set.
2. Chiefly British. An old man or a rustic.
3. Chiefly British. A boss or foreman.

[Probably alteration (influenced by GRANDFATHER) of GODFATHER.]

(GAF-uhr)

noun
1. The head of the electrical department responsible for the lighting setup on a movie or television set.
2. An old man, especially a country man.
3. A foreman, supervisor, or boss.

Etymology
Contraction of godfather, influenced by grandfather

Sense 1 comes from the fact that in the beginning longshoremen were employed to move heavy lighting equipment on a production set. They worked in a hierarchy and the one at the top was called gaffer as a term of respect. Sense 2 and 3 are chiefly British. The feminine equivalent of sense 2 is gammer (contraction of godmother).

Usage
"The entire team is made up of Jaime Bengzon (executive producer and cinematographer), Alvin Santiago (production manager), Eric Jose Pancho (production designer), Elmo Redrico (art director), Manny Abanto (assistant Cameraman) and Tony Nugod (gaffer)." — Francis Rex Alger; Behind the Scenes; The Manila Times (Philippines); Jul 28, 2003.

"He (Bruce Willis) insists that these days it's almost as much fun giving money away as it is raking it in. He likes to stuff a paper bag with dozens of hundred-dollar bills and let the entire movie crew - down to the last grip and gaffer - hold a lottery to win it." — David Hochman; Tough Guise; The Age (Melbourne, Australia); Aug 9, 2003.

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In motion picture and television production, the head lighting electrician on the set.

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - (arbejds)formand, chef, boss, sjakbajs

Nederlands (Dutch)
oude man, ploegbaas, technicus (tv-/ filmopname), glasblazer

Français (French)
n. - (GB) contremaître, (GB) patron, (Cin, TV) éclairage, vieux bonhomme (arch)

Deutsch (German)
n. - Vorarbeiter, (ugs.) Alter

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - επιστάτης, αφεντικό, γερο-επαρχιώτης, προϊστάμενος ηλεκτρολόγος (σκηνικού πλατό)

Italiano (Italian)
compare, caposquadra

Português (Portuguese)
n. - velho (m) rústico, capataz (m), eletricista (m) (f) chefe

Русский (Russian)
дед, цеховой старшина, бригадир

Español (Spanish)
n. - cabo de maestranza, capataz, contramaestre, jefe, iluminista de cine o TV, vejete

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - gubbe, chef, chefselektriker (TV el. film.)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
乡下老头, 领班, 老人

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 鄉下老頭, 領班, 老人

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 늙은 사람, 두목

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - じいさん, 親方, 頭

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) عجوز, صاحب العمل‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮זקן, ישיש, ממונה, בוס, חשמלאי ראשי בהפקת סרט‬

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