Chaff
noun
The husks of grains and grasses that are left over after threshing.
The farmer separated the wheat from the chaff
Often appears as...
- separate wheat from chaff
- chaff from the grain
noun
Things that are considered worthless or useless.
He had to sift through a lot of useless information, sorting the valuable from the chaff.
Often appears as...
- separate the wheat from the chaff
- sift the chaff
Usage tips
Disapproving
Colloquial,Idiomatic
noun
Strips of metal or foil dropped by an aircraft to confuse enemy radar.
The aircraft released chaff to confuse enemy radar and avoid missile attacks.
Often appears as...
- release chaff
- chaff countermeasures
Usage tips
Technical
noun
The husks of grains and grasses that are left over after threshing.
The farmer separated the wheat from the chaff
Often appears as...
- separate wheat from chaff
- chaff from the grain
noun
Things that are considered worthless or useless.
He had to sift through a lot of useless information, sorting the valuable from the chaff.
Often appears as...
- separate the wheat from the chaff
- sift the chaff
Usage tips
Disapproving
Colloquial,Idiomatic
noun
Strips of metal or foil dropped by an aircraft to confuse enemy radar.
The aircraft released chaff to confuse enemy radar and avoid missile attacks.
Often appears as...
- release chaff
- chaff countermeasures
Usage tips
Technical
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/3Agricultural Origin
Originally refers to leftover parts during grain harvest, not the edible kernels.
Threshing machines help to break the grain free of the chaff.
Pro Tip 2/3Metaphoric Use
Used metaphorically to differentiate valuable things from worthless ones.
After some discussion, they could separate the clever ideas from the chaff.
Pro Tip 3/3Historical Context
Understanding historic grain processing can clarify this term's figurative use.
In history, winnowing was a common way to remove chaff from the grain.
Pro Tip 1/3Agricultural Origin
Originally refers to leftover parts during grain harvest, not the edible kernels.
Threshing machines help to break the grain free of the chaff.
Pro Tip 2/3Metaphoric Use
Used metaphorically to differentiate valuable things from worthless ones.
After some discussion, they could separate the clever ideas from the chaff.
Pro Tip 3/3Historical Context
Understanding historic grain processing can clarify this term's figurative use.
In history, winnowing was a common way to remove chaff from the grain.
Pro Tip 1/3Agricultural Origin
Originally refers to leftover parts during grain harvest, not the edible kernels.
Threshing machines help to break the grain free of the chaff.
Pro Tip 2/3Metaphoric Use
Used metaphorically to differentiate valuable things from worthless ones.
After some discussion, they could separate the clever ideas from the chaff.
Pro Tip 3/3Historical Context
Understanding historic grain processing can clarify this term's figurative use.
In history, winnowing was a common way to remove chaff from the grain.
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Video examples
Safari Live - Day 190 PIPE...
the ground which have provided a beautiful little sort of nutrient source for the ants the seed themselves are not eaten because they've evolved that way they provide the answer the food essentially sort of the chaff and the wheat itself the food source or the the seed pot grows out of the ground and because the ends have protected them
Video examples
How autism freed me to...
but it can be that people don't want to be friends with the autistic girl. It can be that people don't want to associate with anyone who won't or can't fit themselves into a box that's labeled normal. But that's fine with me, because it sorts the wheat from the chaff,
Video examples
Adorable Tiger Cub...
any cubs whatsoever tigers communicate using a range of vocalizations and the most common non-threatening sound they make is called a chaff
Video examples
Safari Live - Day 190 PIPE...
the ground which have provided a beautiful little sort of nutrient source for the ants the seed themselves are not eaten because they've evolved that way they provide the answer the food essentially sort of the chaff and the wheat itself the food source or the the seed pot grows out of the ground and because the ends have protected them
Video examples
How autism freed me to...
but it can be that people don't want to be friends with the autistic girl. It can be that people don't want to associate with anyone who won't or can't fit themselves into a box that's labeled normal. But that's fine with me, because it sorts the wheat from the chaff,
Video examples
Adorable Tiger Cub...
any cubs whatsoever tigers communicate using a range of vocalizations and the most common non-threatening sound they make is called a chaff
Example 1 of 3
Quote examples
Oren Etzioni
American Businessman
Scientists need the infrastructure for scientific search to aid their research, and they need it to offer relevancy and ways to separate the wheat from the chaff - the useful from the noise - via AI-enabled algorithms. With AI, such an infrastructure would be able to identify the exact study a scientist needs from the tens of thousands on a topic.
Quote examples
Ta-Nehisi Coates
American Journalist
People review my comic books. People review every article I write - 'The Atlantic' even publishes them. A great deal of the critique of 'Between the World and Me' was from a feminist perspective. bell hooks pushed back, among others. Some of that has value. Some of it does not. I try my best to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Quote examples
Hamish Bowles
English Journalist
We're obviously in a strange environment where practically anyone can set themselves up as a pundit of sorts. It's all about sorting the wheat from the chaff, and I'm very interested in reading different points of view, and certainly different generations than my own that have such a very different world view.
Quote examples
Max Brooks
American Author
Zombies are so popular. There's a lot of chaff out there. For every one person who is legitimately passionate about zombies, there are a hundred people who are thinking, 'Hey, I can make a buck off of this.' The problem is that some of their stuff is so lame.
Quote examples
Charles Stross
British Writer
The real challenge in this line of work is being able to weed the productive ones from the chaff, to decide which you're going to spend the next six to nine months turning into something that people will pay for.
Quote examples
Amarinder Singh
Indian Politician
It is unfortunate that people chose the star power of Sunny Deol over the hard work of Sunil Jakhar. Maybe our democracy is yet to become evolved to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Quote examples
Elbert Hubbard
American Writer
Editor: a person employed by a newspaper, whose business it is to separate the wheat from the chaff, and to see that the chaff is printed.
Quote examples
Dean Stanley
We must never throw away a bushel of truth because it happens to contain a few grains of chaff.
Quote examples
Adlai Stevenson I
American Politician
Newspaper editors are men who separate the wheat from the chaff, and then print the chaff.
Quote examples
Michaela Coel
I do like making people feel uncomfortable - it's separating the wheat from the chaff.
Quote examples
Oren Etzioni
American Businessman
Scientists need the infrastructure for scientific search to aid their research, and they need it to offer relevancy and ways to separate the wheat from the chaff - the useful from the noise - via AI-enabled algorithms. With AI, such an infrastructure would be able to identify the exact study a scientist needs from the tens of thousands on a topic.
Quote examples
Ta-Nehisi Coates
American Journalist
People review my comic books. People review every article I write - 'The Atlantic' even publishes them. A great deal of the critique of 'Between the World and Me' was from a feminist perspective. bell hooks pushed back, among others. Some of that has value. Some of it does not. I try my best to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Quote examples
Hamish Bowles
English Journalist
We're obviously in a strange environment where practically anyone can set themselves up as a pundit of sorts. It's all about sorting the wheat from the chaff, and I'm very interested in reading different points of view, and certainly different generations than my own that have such a very different world view.
Quote examples
Max Brooks
American Author
Zombies are so popular. There's a lot of chaff out there. For every one person who is legitimately passionate about zombies, there are a hundred people who are thinking, 'Hey, I can make a buck off of this.' The problem is that some of their stuff is so lame.
Quote examples
Charles Stross
British Writer
The real challenge in this line of work is being able to weed the productive ones from the chaff, to decide which you're going to spend the next six to nine months turning into something that people will pay for.
Quote examples
Amarinder Singh
Indian Politician
It is unfortunate that people chose the star power of Sunny Deol over the hard work of Sunil Jakhar. Maybe our democracy is yet to become evolved to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Quote examples
Elbert Hubbard
American Writer
Editor: a person employed by a newspaper, whose business it is to separate the wheat from the chaff, and to see that the chaff is printed.
Quote examples
Dean Stanley
We must never throw away a bushel of truth because it happens to contain a few grains of chaff.
Quote examples
Adlai Stevenson I
American Politician
Newspaper editors are men who separate the wheat from the chaff, and then print the chaff.
Quote examples
Michaela Coel
I do like making people feel uncomfortable - it's separating the wheat from the chaff.
Example 1 of 10
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