chaff

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
chaff1 /tʃɑːf, tʃaf/

▶noun

• 1 the husks of grain or other seed separated by winnowing or threshing.

  ■ chopped hay and straw used as fodder.

• 2 strips of metal foil released in the air to obstruct radar detection.

– phrases
separate (or sort) the wheat from the chaff distinguish valuable people or things from worthless ones.

– origin OE cæf, ceaf, prob. from a Gmc base meaning ‘gnaw’; rel. to chafer.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
chaff2 /tʃɑːf, tʃaf/

▶noun light-hearted joking. ▶verb tease (someone).

– origin C19: perh. from chafe.