jaffa

See also: Jaffa

English

Etymology

From Jaffa, an ancient port city in what is now Israel from which the oranges were exported. The sense "impotent male" is a reference to being "seedless"; see seed. The cricketing sense, of a 'sweet ball' (from the bowler's perspective), is a metaphor further reinforced in Australian English where Jaffa is also a trademark for a popular lolly that is red and round.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

jaffa (plural jaffas)

1. A type of sweet orange, normally seedless.
2. (slang) An impotent or infertile male.
3. (cricket) A ball that is very difficult for the batsman to hit because it moves erratically either through the air or off the pitch

Translations

type of sweet orange

• Finnish: jaffa

slang: infertile male

• Finnish: tuhkamuna (fi)