What happened to Rick Perry last night, at the Republican debate in Michigan? Well, according to the Huffington Post, he made a "gaffe."
And it's not a good thing. A gaffe is a mistake, a big mistake, one that makes you look stupid. It's the equivalent of eating pasta with your boss, and shooting a meatball onto his white shirt....
The word may derive from a word in Old French meaning a boat hook. Alternatively, it may be from the British slang meaning to cheat or trick. Origin unclear--says the dictionary. But wherever it comes from, it's a bad thing.
