Chaff is the unwanted husk that surrounds the grain. “Anciently, threshers of grain understood well the art of separating the seed from the husks, or chaff. This simple matter was accomplished by tossing the grain into the air. By so doing, the valuable seed immediately returned to the threshing floor, and the slightest breeze would carry the worthless chaff away” (McConkie and Parry, Guide to Scriptural Symbols, 28).