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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

penny gaff en · NOUN

Meanings

  1. (historical) An entertainment in 19th-century England consisting of short theatrical displays such as dancing, singing, clowning, and plays.
    • More sophisticated were the penny gaffes where for a id^([sic]) entrance fee entertainment was provided by hairy men, hairless dogs, gorillas, Aztecs and giants. 2015, Ed Glinert, East End Chronicles, Penguin UK, →ISBN:
    • My dear sirs, did you actually imagine that one could not follow every clumsy move you made, with Joolby's low comedy tramp and the other two stealing in like a couple of hired assassins in a penny gaff melodrama? 1934, Ernest Bramah, The Bravo of London:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
penny gaffs Number=Plur lexicographic
penny gaffe alternative lexicographic
penny-gaff alternative lexicographic

Synonyms

dukey