colloq. [see CHAFF sb.2: the relative priority of vb. and sb. is unsettled.] trans. To banter, rail at, or rally, in a light and non-serious manner, or without anger, but so as to try the good nature or temper of the person ‘chaffed.’
(A word or sense that probably arose as cadgers’ slang, and is still considered slangy, and usually apologized for by inverted commas.)
1827. [see CHAFFING].
1850. H. Greville, Leaves fr. Diary (1883), 375. Charles was very amusing in chaffing Lady C. for her violent anti-Catholic feelings.
1857. Kingsley, Two Y. Ago, II. v. 174 (D.). A dozen honest fellows grinned when their own visages appeared, and chaffed each other about the sweethearts who were to keep them while they were out at sea.
1879. McCarthy, Own Times, II. 264. Palmerston is in the Home office, pleasantly ‘chaffing’ militia colonels.
1885. A. V. Dicey, Lect. Introd. Law of Const., 174. The Regent treated the affair as a sort of joke, and, so to speak, ‘chaffed’ the supposed author of the satire.
b. absol. or intr.
a. 1845. Barham, Ingold. Leg. (1877), 319. Not pausing to chaff or to parley.
Hence Chaffing vbl. sb. and ppl. a., Chaffingly adv.
[Cf. 1575. in CHAFING vbl. sb. 1.]
1827. Hone, Every-day Bk., II. 1009. Much ‘chaffing’ passed between them.
1861. N. A. Woods, Pr. Wales in Canada, 426. There were ‘chaffing’ signals too, going on between the vessels.
1876. Burnaby, Ride Khiva, vi. Being a little annoyed at the chaffing remarks of the grinning peasants.
1830. Saturday’s Advertiser, 3 April, 3/1. Simon told him, chaffingly, as we suppose, that he would give it him in the first round.
1871. Daily News, 24 Jan., 6/3. The men took to criticising each other’s performances, not chaffingly, but quite seriously.
1883. Proctor, in Knowledge, 13 July, 28/1. A habit chaffingly attributed to the Missourian belles.
