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Chaff vs Chiff - What's the difference?

chaff | chiff |

As nouns the difference between chaff and chiff

is that chaff is the inedible parts of a grain-producing plant while chiff is (music) the characteristic sound made as part of the attack of certain notes on the organ.

As a verb chaff

is to use light, idle language by way of fun or ridicule; to banter.

chaff

English

Noun

(-)
  • 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.
  • * Dryden
  • So take the corn and leave the chaff behind.
  • By extension, any excess or unwanted material, resource, or person; anything worthless.
  • There are plenty of good books on the subject, but take care to separate the wheat from the chaff .
  • * Shakespeare
  • the chaff and ruin of the times
  • Loose material dropped from aircraft specifically to interfere with radar detection.
  • Straw or hay cut up fine for the food of cattle.
  • * Wyatt
  • By adding chaff' to his corn, the horse must take more time to eat it. In this way ' chaff is very useful.
  • Light jesting talk; banter; raillery.
  • Derived terms

    * separate the wheat from the chaff

    See also

    * bran

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To use light, idle language by way of fun or ridicule; to banter.
  • To make fun of; to turn into ridicule by addressing in ironical or bantering language; to quiz.
  • chiff

    English

    Noun

    (-)
  • (music) The characteristic sound made as part of the attack of certain notes on the organ.
  • *1998 , Fletcher, N.H. and Rossing, T.D, The Physics of Musical Instruments , Springer Science & Business Media, page 570
  • *:In all these adjustments, the voicer must have regard to the steady sound of the pipe, to its promptness of speech, and to the presence or absence of any desired starting transient or chiff .