Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a husband.

1765		H. Brooke Fool of Quality I 45: Being arrived near the Farmhouse, Nurse, who stood at the Door, saw them approaching and cried out, Gaffer, Gaffer, here comes our Harry with the dumb Gentleman.
1790		Dialogue between a Noted Shoemaker and his Wife 6: Cry your mercy, Gaffer fumble, there’s many more beside you beholden to their neighbours.
1801		C. Dibdin Yngr Song Smith 57: What was Eve but a telegraph, pray, / Whom Nick found the way how to work, / And shew’d gaffer Adam that way, / We all know, the trick of a Turk?
1937–84		Partridge DSUE (1984) 440/2: C.18.

2. one’s father.

1782		Hants Chron. 7 Oct. 4/1: Spruce Davy Dumble. / Is partner with Dolly. / And old Gaffer Grumble is link’ to young Polly.
1879		‘’Arry on the ’Igher Education of Women’ in Punch 5 Apr. in P. Marks (2006) 151: She is pooty, her gaffer’s got tin.
1896		G.M. Fenn Sappers and Miners 179: To think of it, for such a mine to have lain untouched ever since the time of our great-great-gaffers.
1929		‘Henry Green’ Living (1978) 213: ’e don’t get much rest in the night time neither as ’e’s reading fairy stories for the old gaffer to get to sleep.
1932		(con. 1910s) J.T. Farrell Young Lonigan in Studs Lonigan (1936) 32: I don’t want to go, but the gaffer wants me to.
1935		(con. 1920s) J.T. Farrell Judgement Day in Studs Lonigan (1936) 533: Look at the gaffer! What’s he got now?
1961		H.C. Woodbridge ‘Misc.’ in AS XXXVI:3 228: gaffer, n. Father.

3. (Anglo-Irish) a boy, a young fellow.

1907		J.M. Synge Playboy of the Western World Act III: And isn’t herself the divil’s daughter for locking, and she so fussy after that young gaffer.
1910		P.W. Joyce Eng. As We Speak It In Ireland.
1934		T. Minehan Boy and Girl Tramps of America (1976) 15: The rest of you gaffers [...] get some grub.
1960		J. O’Donoghue In Kerry Long Ago 68: I didn’t want to wake the gaffers.