Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Gaffer

Gaffer (gaf"fẽr) , noun

[Possibly contr. from godfather; but prob. from gramfer for grandfather. Compare Gammer.]

1.
An old fellow; an aged rustic.
Go to each gaffer and each goody. — Fawkes

Gaffer was originally a respectful title, now degenerated into a term of familiarity or contempt when addressed to an aged man in humble life.

2.
A foreman or overseer of a gang of laborers. [Provincial English]