gubbins

See also: Gubbins

English

Etymology

Ante 1553. From gobbon (“piece, portion, slice”), from Old French gobon, gobet (“piece”). Cognate with English gobony (“line of alternating squares”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɡʌb.ɪnz/

Noun

gubbins pl (plural only)

1. (obsolete) Fragments; parings; scraps (especially of fish).
   • 1599, [Thomas] Nashe, Nashes Lenten Stuffe, […], London: […] [Thomas Judson and Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and C[uthbert] B[urby] […], →OCLC, page 73:

     [H]ough you hungerſtarued gubbins or offales of men, how thriue you, howe periſh you, [...]

2. (British, informal) Assorted stuff, especially if of little value; tat.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:thingy, Thesaurus:trifle

   • 2017 summer, Milla Jovovich, “My Movie Masterming: Resident Evil Special”, in Empire, number 337, page 135:

     I had to memorise so much dialogue that never makes it into the movie so I always have a plethora of extra gubbins I can't remember.

Noun

gubbins (plural gubbins)

1. (UK, informal) Silly person; fool. [from 20th c.]
   • 1916, Edward Frederic Benson, David Blaize‎^[1], page 146:

     "Silly gubbins," she said. "You told me twice, and I was interested even the second time. […] "

Synonyms

• (silly person): See Thesaurus:fool

Further reading

• Wikipedia article on placeholder names

Anagrams

• subbing