gaffle

English

Noun

gaffle (plural gaffles)

1. (obsolete) A lever used to bend a crossbow
2. A steel spur attached to a gamecock

Verb

gaffle (third-person singular simple present gaffles, present participle gaffling, simple past and past participle gaffled)

1. To seize
2. To steal
3. Gaffling is a planning technique for orienteering relay courses whereby individual routes are planned so as to vary slightly and to make following difficult. This means that the competition depends more on navigational skills rather than just physical ability. See British Orienteering Federation's Event Guideline F for Relay Events, Section 3.

References

• OED 2nd edition 1989 (noun sense)