chaff

Plural: chaffs

Noun

• material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds
• foil in thin strips; ejected into the air as a radar countermeasure
• The inedible parts of a grain-producing plant.
• Straw or hay cut up fine for the food of cattle.
• Any excess or unwanted material, resource, or person; anything worthless.
• Light jesting talk; banter; raillery.
• Loose material, e.g. small strips of aluminum foil dropped from aircraft, intended to interfere with radar detection.

Verb

Verb Forms: chaffed, chaffing, chaffs

• To tease or make fun of playfully; to banter.
• be silly or tease one another
• To use light, idle language by way of fun or ridicule; to banter.
• To make fun of; to turn into ridicule by addressing in ironical or bantering language.
• To cut up (straw or hay) for use as cattle feed.

Examples

• To separate out the chaff, early cultures tossed baskets of grain into the air and let the wind blow away the lighter chaff.
• We like to CHAFF each other during intense Words With Friends matches, keeping it light.

Synonyms

banter, husk, jolly, josh, kid, shuck, stalk, straw, stubble, quiz, window

Related Words

paleaceous, paleous

Anagrams of chaff