What Does Chaff Mean?
Chaff has two meanings the original meaning is concerned with agriculture. The outer coverings or skins of grains such as wheat when separated from the cereal are known as chaff. Usually chaff is separated from the grain through a process such as threshing. Since chaff is of no edible importance and since the grain can only be consumed after it has been discarded it has also come to be used as an expression. The phrase separate the chaff from the grain meaning the worthless from the worthy refers to the said expression. The other meaning of Chaff is in the military sense. Chaff is a form of countermeasures used by fighter aircrafts to deflect or confuse radar guided missiles. It consists of the aircraft releasing a number of thin silver foils into the air which confuse enemy radar. The foils either show up as multiple targets on the screen or a mass of confusion. Perhaps the name of the countermeasure “chaff” is derived from the fact that something worthless is spent to save something
