chaff

chaff¹ n. [uncountable]

the outer coverings of seeds of grains separated during beating or threshing:to separate the wheat from the chaff.
something worthless;
refuse:Your paper has some good ideas but it's hard to find them in all the chaff.

chaff² v.

to tease;
ridicule slightly;
kid: [~ + object]The schoolkids liked to chaff him about his ears.[no object]just chaffing around.

chaff¹ n.

the husks of grains and grasses that are separated during threshing.
straw cut up for fodder.
worthless matter;
refuse.
Botanythe membranous, usually dry, brittle bracts of the flowers of certain plants.
MilitaryAlso called window. strips of metal foil dropped by an aircraft to confuse enemy radar by creating false blips.

bef. 1000; Middle English chaf, Old English ceaf; cognate with Middle Low German, Dutch kaf

chaff′less, adj.
chaff′like′, adj.

chaff² v.t., v.i.

to mock, tease, or jest in a good-natured way;
banter:She chaffed him for working late. They joked and chaffed with each other.

chaff′ing•ly, adv.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

chaff /tʃɑːf/ n

the mass of husks, etc, separated from the seeds during threshing
finely cut straw and hay used to feed cattle
something of little worth; rubbish (esp in the phrase separate the wheat from the chaff)
thin strips of metallic foil released into the earth's atmosphere to confuse radar signals and prevent detection

Etymology: Old English ceaf; related to Old High German keva husk
ˈchaffy adj

chaff /tʃɑːf/ n

light-hearted teasing or joking; banter

Etymology: 19th Century: probably slang variant of chafe, perhaps influenced by chaff¹ˈchaffer n

'chaff' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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