gaffe — an embarrassing mistake, especially one made in public
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: an embarrassing mistake, especially one made in public
Pronunciation (IPA): /ɡæf/
Example Sentences
- His gaffe of calling the bride by his ex-girlfriend's name made the wedding ceremony awkward.
- The CEO's gaffe during the presentation cost the company a million-dollar deal.
- She tried to cover up her gaffe by pretending it was a joke.
gaffe
NOUN[/ɡæf/]
an embarrassing mistake, especially one made in public
Public embarrassing mistake at formal event
One gaffe with the staff made everyone laugh!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From French 'gaffe' meaning a hook or a blunder. The word originally referred to a boatman's hook, but came to mean a social blunder or mistake, possibly from the idea of clumsily hooking or catching something awkwardly.
Breakdown
gaffe (French origin) - a single morpheme with no productive English prefix or suffix components; the word entered English as a loanword from French
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“His gaffe of calling the bride by his ex-girlfriend's name made the wedding ceremony awkward.”
“The CEO's gaffe during the presentation cost the company a million-dollar deal.”
“She tried to cover up her gaffe by pretending it was a joke.”
“The reporter's gaffe of mixing up the twin brothers' names became a meme.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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