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“gaffe”
1. A clumsy mistake or a breach of etiquette: Fred made a gaffe about Etta's new dress that embarrassed her.
2. A blundering social error; a "faux pas": Trisha realized that she had committed an embarrassing gaffe when she mispronounced the name of the diplomat's wife during the introduction.
3. A blatant mistake or misjudgment: It is a serious gaffe to forget to lock one's house when he or she leaves home.
4. Etymology: the meaning of "blunder" is from about 1909, from French gaffe, "clumsy remark"; originally, "boat hook" from Old French gaffe, which came from Old Provençal gaf.
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2. A blundering social error; a "faux pas": Trisha realized that she had committed an embarrassing gaffe when she mispronounced the name of the diplomat's wife during the introduction.
3. A blatant mistake or misjudgment: It is a serious gaffe to forget to lock one's house when he or she leaves home.
A White House gaffe irritated diplomats who were forced to cool their heels.
Several foreign diplomats were mistakenly denied entry to the White House when they arrived for an annual reception, and though most finally made it in, a few left in anger.
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so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.
This entry is located in the following unit:
English Words in Action, Group G
(page 1)
Diplomatic or clumsy social mistakes when saying or doing something that is not acceptable. (2)
This entry is located in the following unit:
Word a Day Revisited Index of Cartoons Illustrating the Meanings of Words
(page 40)