*chaff*

n. [ AC. ceaf; akin to D. kaf, G. kaff. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. The glumes or husks of grains and grasses separated from the seed by threshing and winnowing, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

So take the corn and leave the chaff behind. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

Old birds are not caught with caff. Old Proverb. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Anything of a comparatively light and worthless character; the refuse part of anything. [ 1913 Webster ]

The chaff and ruin of the times. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Straw or hay cut up fine for the food of cattle. [ 1913 Webster ]

By adding chaff to his corn, the horse must take more time to eat it. In this way chaff is very useful. Ywatt. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Light jesting talk; banter; raillery. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Bot.) The scales or bracts on the receptacle, which subtend each flower in the heads of many Compositæ, as the sunflower. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

Chaff cutter, a machine for cutting, up straw, etc., into “chaff” for the use of cattle. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To make fun of; to turn into ridicule by addressing in ironical or bantering language; to quiz. [ 1913 Webster ]

Morgan saw that his master was chaffing him. Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

A dozen honest fellows . . . chaffed each other about their sweethearts. C. Kingsley. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who chaffs. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. chaffare, cheapfare; AS. ceáp a bargain, price + faru a journey; hence, originally, a going to barain, to market. See Cheap, and Fare. ] Bargaining; merchandise. [ Obs. ] Holished. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Chaffered p. pr. & vb. n. Chaffering. ] [ OE. chaffaren, fr. chaffare, chapfare, cheapfare, a bargaining. See Chaffer, n. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. To treat or dispute about a purchase; to bargain; to haggle or higgle; to negotiate. [ 1913 Webster ]

To chaffer for preferments with his gold. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To talk much and idly; to chatter. Trench. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To buy or sell; to trade in. [ 1913 Webster ]

He chaffered chairs in which churchmen were set. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To exchange; to bandy, as words. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who chaffers; a bargainer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Chafe, v. t. ] A vessel for heating water. [ Obs. ] Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Traffic; bargaining. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Chiff-chaff. ] (Zool.) A bird of Europe (Fringilla cœlebs), having a variety of very sweet songs, and highly valued as a cage bird; -- called also copper finch. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The use of light, frivolous language by way of fun or ridicule; raillery; banter. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Without chaff. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ or } n. (Eng. Law) Formerly a chancery officer who fitted wax for sealing writs and other documents. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Abounding in, or resembling, chaff. [ 1913 Webster ]

Chaffy grain beneath the thresher's flail. Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Light or worthless as chaff. [ 1913 Webster ]

Slight and chaffy opinion. Glanvill. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Bot.) (a) Resembling chaff; composed of light dry scales. (b) Bearing or covered with dry scales, as the under surface of certain ferns, or the disk of some composite flowers. [ 1913 Webster ]