gaff

blow the gaff

slang To talk about or reveal a private or secret matter. Primarily heard in UK. I can't believe you blew the gaff and talked about the plans for her surprise party right to her face! Don't tell your little brother anything you want to keep secret because he'll definitely blow the gaff.
See also: blow, gaff

stand the gaff

To face and withstand intense censure or criticism. I made the decision to go ahead with my plan and stand the gaff later, if it came to it. You must be willing to stand the gaff if your hope to make any worthwhile progress in this business.
See also: gaff, stand
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

stand the gaff

Take severe criticism or other adversity in stride, as in If you can't stand the gaff, don't try running for office. [Slang; late 1800s]
See also: gaff, stand
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

blow the gaff

BRITISH, INFORMAL
If you blow the gaff, you tell people something which was supposed to be kept secret. He is certainly not the first minister to blow the gaff. Note: `Blow' here means `reveal'. In the 19th century, `gaff' was a slang word used to refer to dishonest behaviour which was intended to deceive people.
See also: blow, gaff
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

blow the gaff

reveal or let out a plot or secret. British informal
The word gaff is recorded from the early 19th century, but its origins are uncertain.
See also: blow, gaff
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

blow the ˈgaff (on somebody/something)

(British English, informal) reveal a secret: She didn’t want anyone to know where she had been, but her husband blew the gaff. OPPOSITE: keep mum
See also: blow, gaff
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • blow the gaff
  • stand the gaff
  • blow/knock somebody's socks off
  • blow (one's) socks off
  • blow cool
  • blow one’s cool
  • blow one's cool
  • blow your cool
  • blow (one's) cool
  • divot
References in periodicals archive
But Gaff, whose property is at 1134 Main St., seems unimpressed by the city's tactics.
City sells Glenwood property for hotel
In 2011, Gaff traveled to Belgium to meet with the European Commission research community.
Thomas M. Taft Jr.: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Tom Kill finished the scoring, breaking away from defence to score under the posts, again converted by Gaff.
Rugby Union: Honours are shared in double challenge; Junior rugby
Angel Cordero rides Sheema Classic hopeful Gaff yesterday EDWARD WHITAKER
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The bride is the daughter of John and Cynthia Gaff of Pascagoula.
Goff-Killingsworth. (2003 Wedding Register)
Lord Thurso recalled: "David gaffed it and threw it up a steepish bank, intending to scramble up after it.
Fisher Queen could stun the best of anglers
David put out the gaff, stuck it in mid-air and brought it back to her.'
Queen Mother Special: Patience was virtue with a rod in hand
In the under-13 category, Coventry's fast-starting Ben Davies will lead the home challenge, alongside Paul Coombes, Sam Hardy, and Adam Gaff.
CYCLE SPEEDWAY: Pointer favourite to capture crown
The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a gaff adapted for chromated copper arsenate (CCA) in order to improve the linemen's psychophysical perception of pole climbability compared to the standard gaff used by Hydro-Quebec's staff.
EFFECT OF GAFF DESIGN ON LINEMEN'S PERCEPTION OF THE CLIMBABILITY OF RED PINE UTILITY POLES OF PRE-SELECTED WOOD HARDNESS
As is common in many cockfighting cultures, Timorese birds have to manage with a sharp gaff attached to the left leg, left being considered the side of death.
Blood and Feathers - Masculine Identity in East Timorese Cockfighting
Lurking on the periphery is a gay ventriloquist duo, Moe and Larry (Jack Black and Kyle Gaff), under the tutelage of Bill Murray, a vaudeville impresario trying to rid his troupe of communists.
Odd couples
In Gaff Topsails it is 1948 on the coast of Newfoundland rather than 1904 in Dublin, but many similarities remain.
Patrick Kavanagh. Gaff Topsails. New York. Viking. 1998. 435 pages. $24.95. ISBN 0-670-87766-2
Gaff, say the lexicons, can mean a metal spur for a gamecock, a cheap theater or music hall, an ordeal, or a kind of topsail.
Ole Tex braggs "Ain't this a fine hoss-pistol? Yes, sir, I grew it from a colt!" (grammatical errors) (Wood on Words) (Column)
For the busy administrator or faculty member seeking a guide to curriculum but only interested in reading one book, Jerry Gaff's New Life for the College Curriculum is a must.
New Life for the College Curriculum: Assessing Achievements and Furthering Progress in the Reform of General Education
Gaff, published by Jossey-Bass in 1983) is reviewed here as an important contribution to the abundant literature on general education.
"A Plumbers' Manual on General Education": Must Reading for Curriculum Committees