penny gaff

English

Alternative forms

penny-gaff, penny gaffe

Noun

penny gaff (plural penny gaffs)

(historical) An entertainment in 19th-century England consisting of short theatrical displays such as dancing, singing, clowning, and plays.
Synonym: dukey
- 2015, Ed Glinert, East End Chronicles‎, Penguin UK, →ISBN:
  More sophisticated were the penny gaffes where for a id^[sic] entrance fee entertainment was provided by hairy men, hairless dogs, gorillas, Aztecs and giants.

Further reading

“Penny gaff” in [John Camden Hotten], The Slang Dictionary […], 5th edition, London: Chatto and Windus, 1874, page 250.

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