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chaff

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chaff

 

  5  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Chaff  \Chaff\,  v.  i.  [imp.  &  p.  p.  {Chaffed};  p.  pr  &  vb  n. 
  {Chaffing}.] 
  To  use  light,  idle  language  by  way  of  fun  or  ridicule;  to 
  banter. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Chaff  \Chaff\,  v.  t. 
  To  make  fun  of  to  turn  into  ridicule  by  addressing  in 
  ironical  or  bantering  language;  to  quiz. 
 
  Morgan  saw  that  his  master  was  chaffing  him 
  --Thackeray. 
 
  A  dozen  honest  fellows  .  .  .  chaffed  each  other  about 
  their  sweethearts.  --C.  Kingsley. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Chaff  \Chaff\,  n.  [AC.  ceaf;  akin  to  D.  kaf,  G.  kaff.] 
  1.  The  glumes  or  husks  of  grains  and  grasses  separated  from 
  the  seed  by  threshing  and  winnowing,  etc 
 
  So  take  the  corn  and  leave  the  chaff  behind. 
  --Dryden. 
 
  Old  birds  are  not  caught  with  caff.  --Old  Proverb. 
 
  2.  Anything  of  a  comparatively  light  and  worthless  character; 
  the  refuse  part  of  anything 
 
  The  chaff  and  ruin  of  the  times.  --Shak. 
 
  3.  Straw  or  hay  cut  up  fine  for  the  food  of  cattle. 
 
  By  adding  chaff  to  his  corn,  the  horse  must  take 
  more  time  to  eat  it  In  this  way  chaff  is  very 
  useful.  --Ywatt. 
 
  4.  Light  jesting  talk;  banter;  raillery. 
 
  5.  (Bot.)  The  scales  or  bracts  on  the  receptacle,  which 
  subtend  each  flower  in  the  heads  of  many  Composit[ae],  as 
  the  sunflower.  --Gray. 
 
  {Chaff  cutter},  a  machine  for  cutting,  up  straw,  etc.,  into 
  ``chaff''  for  the  use  of  cattle. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  chaff 
  n  1:  material  consisting  of  seed  coverings  and  small  pieces  of 
  stem  or  leaves  that  have  been  separated  from  the  seeds 
  [syn:  {husk},  {shuck},  {stalk},  {straw},  {stubble}] 
  2:  foil  in  thin  strips;  ejected  into  the  air  as  a  radar 
  countermeasure 
  v  :  be  silly  or  tease  one  another;  "After  we  relaxed,  we  just 
  kidded  around"  [syn:  {kid},  {jolly},  {banter}] 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Chaff 
  the  refuse  of  winnowed  corn.  It  was  usually  burned  (Ex.  15:7; 
  Isa.  5:24;  Matt.  3:12).  This  word  sometimes  however,  means 
  dried  grass  or  hay  (Isa.  5:24;  33:11).  Chaff  is  used  as  a  figure 
  of  abortive  wickedness  (Ps.  1:4;  Matt.  3:12).  False  doctrines 
  are  also  called  chaff  (Jer.  23:28),  or  more  correctly  rendered 
  "chopped  straw."  The  destruction  of  the  wicked,  and  their 
  powerlessness,  are  likened  to  the  carrying  away  of  chaff  by  the 
  wind  (Isa.  17:13;  Hos.  13:3;  Zeph.  2:2).




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