gaffed

Verb

gaff (third-person singular simple present gaffs, present participle gaffing, simple past and past participle gaffed)

1. To use a gaff, especially to land a fish.
   • I stepped out and advanced valiantly upon a long-maned bull in the midst of his wives. I was armed with the regular club with which the boat-pullers killed the wounded seals gaffed aboard by the hunters.1904, Jack London, chapter 30, in The Sea-Wolf (Macmillan’s Standard Library), New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, →OCLC
2. To cheat or hoax.
3. (transitive) To doctor or modify for deceptive purposes.
   • When the operator began losing, he gaffed the wheel and then the patron had no chance to win. With his secret device an experienced grifter could stop the wheel at will on any number.1993, Betty Lou Wolfe, Marian Jean Gray, The Way We Were: Reflections from the 1930's, page 23
4. (obsolete, slang) To gamble, especially by tossing coins.
5. (informal, transitive) To affix gaffer tape to, or cover with gaffer tape.
   • I gaffed down the sleeves to my lens hoods instead of just relying on the drawstring to hold it in place.2013 July 19, Kai-Huei Yau, “Shoot before you dye”, in Tri-City Herald, archived from the original on 20 Feb 2020

See all 15 meanings of gaff