gaffle

A lever used to bend a crossbow.

A steel spur attached to a gamecock (sometimes used figuratively).

These birds, having been some time previous bereft of the weapons nature designed for their defence, are now fornished with gaffles, or artificial spurs, each of which is a polished steel blade , about three inches in length, half an inch wide at the base, curved slightly upwards, sharp at the point and on the upper edge, and firmly fastened to the leg by means of a clasp.

One sits with a harp at his lord's feet; another tames the wild hawk and trains him, teaches him with his little gaffles till the Welsh bird becomes docile.

A portable fork of iron or wood in which the heavy musket formerly in use was rested that it might be accurately aimed and fired.

a fork in an orienteering race.

To equip with a gaffle or similar weapon.

Now, sword or dagger, human arms are but artifical claws and fangs, tied on like false spurs to the fighting cock. So, we repeat, Oberlus, czar of the isle, gaffles his four subjects; that is, with intent of glory, puts four rusty cutlasses into their hands.

Blood doth not follow the law of the mountain stream, by getting more muddy as it descends; neither are men and women of the nature of the gaffled cocks we use to fight at the mains on the Inch of Perth, which send down their fighting propensities to the tenth gallinaccous generation.

to include a gaffle in an orienteering race.

To grab or seize

They would grapple till they were tired, then stop; but as soon as one would start for the bears the other would gaffle him again.

Just as he was going to throw the plug into the box, Jimmy's huge paw reached out and gaffled it.

To get hold of, to find.

Ye see, he knew there wasn't barely enough grazing for him on that oasis, and a short supply of dates for me, and he had gaffled onto that place and warn't going to let go for no black feller nor yet yeller.

"Clever of ye," said Scattergood. "Naow, about Marjie's money. How'd ye manage to gaffle onto that?"

To arrest for criminal activity.

Most forgers were “drunken checkers," men who had forged checks at taverns, although now and then someone would arrive who had hung a great deal of paper before getting gaffled.

Ole Rooster, one of our best analytical minds and alleged phantom mover of The Outlaw, was gaffled up of a sudden and bussed out — not before he'd gotten his beautiful layout of info on the indeterminate sentencing law off to Cleaver's attorneys, though.

To steal

I presume that one of them walked out to the back end to see if any one had been trespassing, and finding my trap had gaffled it.

“That hooligan gaffled my wallet,” Seth told Mort, his breathing now back to near normal.

To swindle or bully (someone)

In other words , you know the trouble around here — and this is pertinent , too — that there have been too many committees in which the minority has allowed itself to be gaffled into submission and silence.

They then stole a maroon Oldsmobile Delta Eighty-Eight from a parking lot on Harvard Avenue and resumed their search for a victim to “gaffle."