gutful

English

Alternative forms

• gutsful (chiefly New Zealand)

Etymology

gut +‎ -ful

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

gutful (plural gutfuls or gutsful)

1. (informal) As much as a gut (abdomen) will hold.

   He drank a gutful of beer.

   • 2005, Zane Radcliffe, The Killer′s Guide to Iceland‎^[1], page 66:

     In every dark corner, fat black bin bags were bent double, throwing up gutfuls of old clothes.

   • 2006, David Blackwell, Clamped‎^[2], page 198:

     Several gutfuls of alcoholic laughter-breath rolled around the room.

   • 2010, Gary Corby, The Pericles Commission, unnumbered page:

     Stratonike laughed, great gutfuls of loud raucous laughter that carried across the crowd.

2. (UK, Australia, New Zealand, slang) As much as one is willing to hear or experience; as much as or more than one can bear; too much; a surfeit.

   I've had a gutful of politics lately.

   • 2000, Bob Foster, Birdum or Bust!, Henley Beach, SA: Seaview Press, page 114:

     By Monday afternoon we were finished - loadwise, physically, mentally, you name it, we'd had a gutful of it.

   • 2002, Cecilia Dart-Thornton, The Lady of the Sorrows‎^[3], page 199:

     He starts mouthing off a bit, then Priz says, “Pipe down while we′re trying to eat,” and then Dogga looks up and puts in, “I′ve had a gutful of ye.”
     ‘So then Barrowclough, the uraguhne, says, “Well, I′ve had a gutful of ye,” and adds, “I′ll break yer bleedin′ kneck.”

   • 2003, Bill Harrigan, Harrigan: The Referee in a League of His Own, unnumbered page:

     I told the captain what had happened and that the only reason the second rower hadn′t been sent off was because he missed. Then I added that I′d had a gutful and I′d start getting rid of blokes if it kept up.
     The captain said, ‘You′ve had a gutful! Well, we′ve had a gutful of you.’

   • 2008, Denise Scott, All That Happened at Number 26‎^[4], page 141:

     I looked at him and thought, ‘ […] He is, he′s exposing himself!’ I abandoned my shopping trolley, marched over to him and screamed, 'I′ve had a gutful! Do you understand me? I′ve had an absolute gutful of men and their dicks. […] ’