Originally Posted By: The Pook
Yes I would have mistaken it for a contraction of 'gaffer' - in other words, an old man, probably her senile husband or father, that needed looking after.


A gaffer in the film/TV industry down these parts is usually the guy in charge of lighting. The term stems, as I have have recently found out, from the old English term for the person who would tend to the street lamps using a 'gaff' to reach and snuff out or light the wicks. A gaff after a time became the term given to an old timer given the task of tending the lamps. So, 'Look after the gaff while I go to the shops' could mean 'keep an eye on the old man' Ta.

A 'gaff' in fishing terms is used to hook and lift a fish onto the boat lest you snap your line trying to lift it out of the water.

I would tend to go with Tswums definition though, A place of residence or work.