Gaf"fer (?), n. [Possibly contr. fr. godfather; but prob. fr. gramfer for grandfather. Cf. Gammer.]
1.
An old fellow; an aged rustic.
Go to each gaffer and each goody.
Fawkes.
Gaffer was originally a respectful title, now degenerated into a term of familiarity or contempt when addressed to an aged man in humble life.
2.
A foreman or overseer of a gang of laborers.
[Prov. Eng.]
© Webster 1913.