Chaff (?), n. [AC. ceaf; akin to D. kaf, G. kaff.]

1. The glumes or husks of grains and grasses separated from the seed by threshing and winnowing, etc.

So take the corn and leave the chaff behind.
Dryden.

Old birds are not caught with caff.
Old Proverb.

2. Anything of a comparatively light and worthless character; the refuse part of anything.

The chaff and ruin of the times.
Shak.

3. Straw or hay cut up fine for the food of cattle.

By adding chaff to his corn, the horse must take more time to eat it. In this way chaff is very useful.
Ywatt.

4. Light jesting talk; banter; raillery.

5. (Bot.) The scales or bracts on the receptacle, which subtend each flower in the heads of many Compositæ, as the sunflower. Gray.

Chaff, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Chaffed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Chaffing.] To use light, idle language by way of fun or ridicule; to banter.

Chaff, v. t. To make fun of; to turn into ridicule by addressing in ironical or bantering language; to quiz.

Morgan saw that his master was chaffing him.
Thackeray.

A dozen honest fellows . . . chaffed each other about their sweethearts.
C. Kingsley.

• The inedible parts of a plant whose seeds are eaten as grain.
       To separate out the chaff, early cultures tossed baskets of grain into the air and let the wind blow away the lighter chaff.
  
• By extension, any excess or unwanted material, resource, or person; anything worthless.
       There are plenty of good websites on the subject, but take care to separate the wheat from the chaff.
  
• Loose material dropped from aircraft specifically to interfere with radar detection.