chaff
Threshing floor debris
Chaff is the husks and other debris separated from grain during threshing—the worthless material left after extracting what's valuable.
The word extends to anything trivial or worthless: separating the wheat from the chaff.
To chaff someone is to tease them good-naturedly.
In military contexts, chaff is strips of metal foil released to confuse radar.
Extracting grain from stalks
- winnowingSeparating grain from chaff
- grainCereal plant's harvest unit
- barleyGrain for malt
- oatsCereal grain for porridge
harvest · straw · fodder · cereal · crop · stubble · combine · farming
Unwanted discarded material
- scrapDiscarded bit or tussle
- refuseReject or garbage
- rubbishWaste or nonsense
- trashDiscarded worthless material
debris · dross · dregs · reject · discard · jettison · throwaway · unwanted
Playful, mild ridicule
- ribbingAffectionate verbal teasing
- joshingPlayful mocking
- jestingPlayful, unserious speech
- railleryHumorous, affectionate teasing
badinage · needling · kidding · mockery · taunting · quips · repartee · goading
Radio-wave object detection
- countermeasuresDefensive actions against threats
- decoyFalse target for misdirection
- jammingBlocking or wedging forcefully
- flaresPyrotechnic distress signals
foil · strips · aircraft · evasion · deflection · interference · dispensers · bundles
threshing
Extracting grain from stalks
oats · harvest · straw · fodder · cereal · crop · stubble · combine · farming · reaper
waste
Unwanted discarded material
trash · debris · dross · dregs · reject · discard · jettison · throwaway · unwanted · useless
teasing
Playful, mild ridicule
raillery · badinage · needling · kidding · mockery · taunting · quips · repartee · goading · razzing
radar
Radio-wave object detection
- countermeasuresDefensive actions against threats
- decoyFalse target for misdirection
- jammingBlocking or wedging forcefully
flares · foil · strips · aircraft · evasion · deflection · interference · dispensers · bundles · aluminum
- millingmill, grist mill, mills, corn mill, grain mill
- electronic warfarejamming, radar jamming, signal jamming, flares, jammers
- seed processingcleaning, threshing, winnowing, hulling, shelling
- grain farmingcorn, corn seed, seed corn, rice, barley
- harvestreaping, fall harvest, reaper, reap, gathering
- farm suppliesanimal feed, fertilizer, seeds, cattle feed, insecticides
chaffpraise
Expression of approval
compliment · flattery · encouragement · affirmation · admiration
- separate the wheat from the chaffExtract what matters
- sort the wheat from the chaffSeparate useful from useless