1. An electrician responsible for lighting on a movie or tv set
   "The gaffer adjusted the lights to create the perfect mood for the scene"
    
2. [Brit, informal] A person who exercises control over workers
   "if you want to leave early you have to ask the gaffer";
   - foreman, chief, honcho [N. Amer, informal], boss
    
3. [informal] An elderly man or woman
   "The gaffer regaled us with stories from his youth";
   - old-timer [informal], oldtimer [informal], old geezer [informal], antique [informal]

Derived forms: gaffers

Type of: electrician, graybeard [US], greybeard [Brit, Cdn], Methuselah, old man, overlooker, sparky [Brit, informal], supervisor

Encyclopedia: Gaffer