penny gaff

English

Alternative forms

• penny-gaff, penny gaffe

Noun

penny gaff (plural penny gaffs)

1. (historical) An entertainment in 19th-century England consisting of short theatrical displays such as dancing, singing, clowning, and plays.

   Synonym: dukey

   • 2015, Ed Glinert, East End Chronicles‎^[1], Penguin UK, →ISBN:

     More sophisticated were the penny gaffes where for a id^[sic] entrance fee entertainment was provided by hairy men, hairless dogs, gorillas, Aztecs and giants.

Further reading

• “Penny gaff” in [John Camden Hotten], The Slang Dictionary […], 5th edition, London: Chatto and Windus, 1874, page 250.