Well, my guess is that the
term was sometimes used colloquially to refer to an old man, an elderly rustic. The word is probably a shortening of "godfather", with "ga" from association with "grandfather". The female equivalent, "gammer", came to refer colloquially to an old lady or to a gossip. The use of gaffer in this way can be seen, for example, in J.R.R. Tolkien's character Gaffer Gamgee.
Posted By: Steve in Holland on August 7th 2015 at 17:20:13
Message Thread
- When, why and who came up with the word 'gaffer' for football managers ? its silly. (n/m) (General Chat) - stowch, Aug 7, 16:43:16
- Bill Maynard (General Chat) - Larry Hagman, Aug 7, 17:20:23
- You are old Larrald....remember the Magic catchphrase.. (General Chat) - usacanary, Aug 7, 17:52:19
- Well, my guess is that the (General Chat) - Steve in Holland, Aug 7, 17:20:13
- 1952, To give the manager a nickname, George Peterson (n/m) (General Chat) - Fozzie, Aug 7, 16:52:30
- ........... (General Chat) - Tricky Hawes, Aug 7, 16:52:29
- It's a tribute to Brian Clough (General Chat) - Old Man, Aug 7, 16:52:28
- It's an affectionate remembrance of a time when all football managers made unforced errors (General Chat) - Old Man, Aug 7, 16:49:34
- It was back in the day of audio tape, before modern digital recording (General Chat) - Old Man, Aug 7, 16:48:28
- Bill Maynard (General Chat) - Larry Hagman, Aug 7, 17:20:23
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