gooseberry
English
Etymology
From goose + berry. It is possible that the first element was originally something related to the gros- of French groseille and/or the kruis- of Dutch kruisbes but has been altered by folk etymology.
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "US" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈɡusˌbɛɹi/
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "UK" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈɡʊzb(ə)ɹi/, /ˈɡuːsb(ə)ɹi/
Audio (US): (file) Audio (AU): (file)
Noun
gooseberry (plural gooseberries)
- A fruit, Ribes uva-crispa, related to the currant.
- We had a good haul of gooseberries from our bushes this year.
- Any other plant or fruit in the subgenus Lua error in Module:parameters at line 828: Parameter "noshow" is not used by this template., distinguished from currants by bearing spines, including Ribes hirtellum, the American gooseberry.
- Any of several other plants that are not closely related but bear fruit in some way similar:
- the Chinese gooseberry or kiwifruit, the edible berry of a cultivar group of the woody vine Actinidia deliciosa and hybrids between this and other species in the genus Actinidia
- the Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica), emblic, amla.
- the Ceylon gooseberry(Please check if this is already defined at target. Replace
{{vern}}
with a regular link if already defined. Add novern=1 if not defined.), a species of Lua error in Module:parameters at line 828: Parameter "noshow" is not used by this template. native to Sri Lanka and southern India - the Barbados gooseberry (Lua error in Module:parameters at line 828: Parameter "noshow" is not used by this template.), an unusual cactus
- The Long Key locustberry or shiny locustberry (Lua error in Module:parameters at line 828: Parameter "noshow" is not used by this template.)
- Jamaican gooseberry tree (Lua error in Module:parameters at line 828: Parameter "noshow" is not used by this template.), a herb-like plant
- star gooseberry
- Otaheite gooseberry (Lua error in Module:parameters at line 828: Parameter "noshow" is not used by this template.)
- Katuk (Lua error in Module:parameters at line 828: Parameter "noshow" is not used by this template.), a shrub grown in some tropical regions as a leaf vegetable
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 828: Parameter "noshow" is not used by this template., also called balloon cherry and cutleaf groundcherry
- Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana), indigenous to South America
- poison gooseberry (Lua error in Module:parameters at line 828: Parameter "noshow" is not used by this template.)
- (dated, British slang) A chaperone.[1]
- (chiefly British) An additional person who is neither necessary nor wanted in a given situation.
- Robert and Susan were so in love with each other that nobody could go near them without feeling like a gooseberry.
- 1915, Lucy Maud Montgomery, “In the Park”, in Anne of the Island:
- "But," said Philippa dolefully, "if I go I'll have to be gooseberry, and that will be a new experience for Philippa Gordon."
- 1993 October 21, Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, Gunmen of the Apocalypse (Red Dwarf), season 6, episode 3, spoken by Dave Lister (Craig Charles):
- Kryten, you are a total gooseberry. Next time I play on the AR machine I'm going to give you some money and send you to the pictures.
- (dated, British slang) A fool.[1]
- (dated, British slang) A fantastic story; a tall tale; a hoax.[1][2]
- (dated, British slang, vulgar, usually in the plural) A testicle.[1]
Synonyms
- (fruit): goosegog (UK informal)
- (additional person): third wheel, fifth wheel
- (fool): see Thesaurus:fool
- (testicle): see Thesaurus:testicles
Derived terms
Translations
fruit
|
additional person
|
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 John S[tephen] Farmer; W[illiam] E[rnest] Henley, compilers (1893) “gooseberry”, in Slang and Its Analogues Past and Present. […], volume III, [London: […] Harrison and Sons] […], →OCLC, pages 182–184.
- ^ Albert Barrère and Charles G[odfrey] Leland, compilers and editors (1889–1890) “gooseberry”, in A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon & Cant […], volume I (A–K), Edinburgh: […] The Ballantyne Press, →OCLC, page 419.
Categories:
- English compound terms
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English dated terms
- British slang
- British English
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- English vulgarities
- en:Berries
- en:Cacti
- en:Malpighiales order plants
- en:Nightshades
- en:People
- en:Saxifragales order plants
- en:Willows and poplars