chaff
/t͡ʃæf/ noun C2- The inedible parts of a grain-producing plant. · To separate out the chaff, early cultures tossed baskets of grain into the air and let the wind blow away the lighter chaff.
- Straw or hay cut up fine for the food of cattle.
- Any excess or unwanted material, resource, or person; anything worthless.
- Light jesting talk; banter; raillery.
- Loose material, e.g. small strips of aluminum foil dropped from aircraft, intended to interfere with radar detection.
Plural chaffs
From the library
But when the war was over, he only allowed him chaff to eat and made him carry heavy loads of wood, subjecting him to much slavish drudgery and ill-treatment.
Besides, I owed you a little mystification, Lestrade, for your chaff in the morning.”
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