gaffer "glass blower" -- Origin of term?

[Douglas G. Wilson]

On 10/13/2012 6:31 PM, Cohen, Gerald Leonard wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Cohen, Gerald Leonard" <gcohen at MST.EDU>
> Subject:      gaffer "glass blower" -- Origin of term?
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> One of my students asked me about the origin of the term "gaffer" (glass bl=
> ower),
>
> and I checked OED but couldn't find it there with that meaning.  Did I some=
> how overlook something obvious? Would anyone know its etymology?
>
>
>
> Here is an Internet example of its use: ....
--

My poor-man's OED apparently says nothing relevant.

MW2:

<<gaf'fer ... _Glass Mfg._ A goffer. See CHAIR, n., 9b.>>

<<gof'fer gauf'fer, n. ... 3. _Glass Mfg._ See CHAIR, n., 9b.>>

<<gof'fer gauf'fer, v.t. ... [F. _gaufrer_ to figure cloth, velvet, and
other stuffs, fr. _gaufre_ honeycomb, waffle, fr. D. _wafel_ ...] To
plait, crimp, or flute, as lace, paper, etc.>>

<<chair ... 9. _Glass Mfg._ ... b A team of three or more workers who
make glass by hand. The footmaker gathers and marvers the glass, the
servitor then fashions the body of the article, and the goffer finishes
it and gives it to the lehr boy to carry to the lehr.>>

MW3:

<<gaffer ... 1 : old man : old fellow .... / 2 Britain a : EMPLOYER  b :
FOREMAN, OVERSEER / 3 : the master glass blower in charge of a shop in
glassworking / 4 : an electrician in charge of the lighting of
motion-picture or television sets>>

Century Dictionary (Supplement) (on-line):

<<gaffer[2], n. 3. A workman in a glass-factory; a finisher.>>

I think the obvious etymology would be from "gaffer" = "old man", thence
"boss [of the glassmakers in this case]", originally supposedly a
contraction of "godfather". Another possibility would be from the verb
"gauffer" as above (perhaps the finishing of a glass article was likened
to finishing cloth, etc.). Or maybe there was conflation.

G-books is partially crippled as somebody already noted, so I didn't go
any further,

-- Doug Wilson

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