chaff

/tʃæf/

/tʃæf/

Other forms: chaffing; chaffed; chaffs

The proverbial phrase "separate the wheat from the chaff" may not be terribly meaningful to you — unless you happen to be a grain farmer. The chaff is the husk surrounding a seed, the part of the grain that is generally thrown away.

In cereal crops like rice, barley, oats, and wheat, the seed — the part of the plant that we eat — is surrounded by a husk. This waste material has been called chaff since the twelfth century at least, but the word has a long history as a metaphor meaning "objects and ideas of little or no value," as well. The Internet is full of misinformation as well as facts so you might have a hard time separating the wheat from the chaff. Their nasty comments are just a lot of chaff — don't even listen to them.

Definitions of chaff

1. noun

   material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds
   synonyms: husk, shuck, stalk, straw, stubble

   types:

   bran

   broken husks of the seeds of cereal grains that are separated from the flour by sifting

   type of:

   plant material, plant substance

   material derived from plants
2. noun

   foil in thin strips; ejected into the air as a radar countermeasure
   type of:

   foil

   a piece of thin and flexible sheet metal
3. verb

   be silly or tease one another
   synonyms: banter, jolly, josh, kid

   type of:

   bait, cod, rag, rally, razz, ride, tantalise, tantalize, taunt, tease, twit

   harass with persistent criticism or carping