Gaff is British and Irish slang for home or house. "Come back to my gaff" means come to my place. Not concerning, just informal vocabulary. Has nothing to do with the old sense of a fishing hook or theatre slang. If your kid uses it constantly, ask them where they first heard it, not to police their speech but to understand which online community they are in.
gaff
British / Irish slang for one's home or apartment.
ɡæfDocumented since 1930s1930sSilenthistoricalCurrent332 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026＋ Add a definition
Etymology timeline
Born ~1930 · 1 year of recorded use20th centurySee decade cohort →
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
Are there any areas when a 'normal' gaff could go that high. Seen recently the road I lived in in Sussex 25 years ago is now regularly hitting £1M+
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Wikipedia: Andrew Gaff
Gaff was recruited from the Oakleigh Chargers with the fourth pick in the 2010 National Draft.
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Wikipedia: Gaff rig
Because of the size and shape of the sail, a gaff rig will have running backstays rather than permanent backstays.
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Wikipedia: Andrew Gaff
Andrew Gaff (born 16 June 1992) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL).
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Wikipedia: Gaff rig
Gaff rig is a sailing rig (configuration of sails, mast and stays) in which the sail is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar (pole) called the gaff.
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Definitions
UK
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#1·Apr 24, 2026UK
British / Irish slang for one's home or apartment. "Round at my gaff" = at my place. Slightly blokey register — you'd say it to mates, not your manager. Common in London, Manchester, and Dublin.
"Come round to my gaff later?"
Origin: Likely from Romani / Traveller cant, entered British English in the 19th century, originally meaning a cheap public hall or fair. Morphed into "home" by the 1930s.
For parents
Gaff is British and Irish slang for home or house. "Come back to my gaff" means come to my place. Not concerning, just informal vocabulary. Has nothing to do with the old sense of a fishing hook or theatre slang. If your kid uses it constantly, ask them where they first heard it, not to police their speech but to understand which online community they are in.
For ESL learners
Gaff in British, Irish, and Australian English is informal slang for a person's home, especially among younger speakers. Use in casual British English contexts. Formal equivalents: "home," "flat," "place." Common non-native mistake: confusing with the standard senses of gaff (a long pole with a hook, a stage error, or US slang for nonsense). The home sense is dominant in current British informal speech.
Cluster: authority_figure
Heard in the wild
“Are there any areas when a 'normal' gaff could go that high. Seen recently the road I lived in in Sussex 25 years ago is now regularly hitting £1M+”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Gaff was recruited from the Oakleigh Chargers with the fourth pick in the 2010 National Draft.”
“Because of the size and shape of the sail, a gaff rig will have running backstays rather than permanent backstays.”
“Andrew Gaff (born 16 June 1992) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL).”
“Gaff rig is a sailing rig (configuration of sails, mast and stays) in which the sail is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar (pole) called the gaff.”
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UK
#6·May 2, 2026UK
A type of tight, panty-like underwear worn to hold the penis and testicles tucked backwards and make one's genital region look smooth, as if one had a vulva.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Show 11 more dictionary-style senses (imported)
UK
#2·May 2, 2026UK
Rough or harsh treatment; criticism.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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UK
#3·May 2, 2026UK
To doctor or modify for deceptive purposes.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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UK
#4·May 2, 2026UK
To affix gaffer tape to, or cover with gaffer tape.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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UK
#5·May 2, 2026UK
The upper spar used to control a gaff-rigged sail.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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UK
#7·May 2, 2026UK
To use a gaff, especially to land a fish.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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UK
UK
#9·May 2, 2026UK
To gamble, especially by tossing coins.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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UK
#10·May 2, 2026UK
A minor error or faux pas, a gaffe.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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UK
#11·May 2, 2026UK
A tool consisting of a large metal hook with a handle or pole, especially the one used to pull large fish aboard a boat.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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UK
#12·May 2, 2026UK
A disreputable, low-end theatre.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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UK
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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UK
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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Semantically related
- sus gaff78%
A gaff — a home, flat, or situation — that gives off deeply suspicious energy. A sus gaff is the kind of place where you arrive and immediately feel something is off: the vibe is weird, the host is acting cagey, and you're not sure you should have come. It might be a party where you don't know half the people and the other half are acting sketchy. It might be a flat that just feels wrong somehow — too quiet, curtains always drawn. Sus gaff is the slang for when your gut says leave early.
- gaff god76%
Someone whose home is so impressively set up — in terms of size, interior design, vibe, or all three — that it has achieved mythological status among their social circle. A gaff god doesn't just have a nice place; they have the place: the one everyone wants to be at, the one that shows up in group chats as the default venue, the one people remember years later. The title applies equally to a genuinely premium apartment and to a legendary student house where every wall tells a story. What matters is that the gaff has gravitational pull.
- gaff core74%
A vibe or aesthetic built entirely around someone's gaff — their flat, house, or bedroom. Gaff core captures that lived-in, thrown-together home energy where mismatched furniture, fairy lights, and takeaway boxes somehow form a coherent identity. It's the aesthetic of making do and making it yours, celebrated rather than hidden. If your gaff has character, if guests walk in and immediately get it, you're operating in full gaff core territory. The opposite of a staged, Airbnb-ready space.
- gaff energy73%
The specific atmosphere, vibe, or feeling projected by someone's home — their gaff. Gaff energy is real and immediately readable. Some gaffs have cosy, low-key energy: soft lighting, blankets everywhere, you're asleep within twenty minutes. Others have chaotic gaff energy: mismatched everything, always something going on, people turning up unannounced. You can also use it to describe the general aura someone carries from their living situation bleeding into their personality. If you've got gaff energy, your home has shaped you.