From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgaffergaf‧fer /ˈɡæfə $ -ər/ noun [countable] 1 AMFthe person who is in charge of the lighting in making a cinema film2 British English informalOLD/NOT YOUNG an old man – used humorously3 British English informalBO a man who is in charge of people, especially in a factory SYN boss
Examples from the Corpus
gaffer• If the gaffer decides to make changes, we know he's got a good back-up squad.• I think the gaffer likes us to stay with the boys and be part of the build-up.Origin gaffer (1500-1600) Probably from godfather 