goose

goose
gooselike, adj.
/goohs/, n., pl. geese for 1, 2, 4, 8, 9; gooses for 5-7; v., goosed, goosing.
n.
1. any of numerous wild or domesticated, web-footed swimming birds of the family Anatidae, esp. of the genera Anser and Branta, most of which are larger and have a longer neck and legs than the ducks.
2. the female of this bird, as distinguished from the male, or gander.
3. the flesh of a goose, used as food.
4. a silly or foolish person; simpleton.
5. Slang. a poke between the buttocks to startle.
6. Informal. anything that energizes, strengthens, or the like: to give the economy a badly needed goose.
7. a tailor's smoothing iron with a curved handle.
8. an obsolete board game played with dice and counters in which a player whose cast falls in a square containing the picture of a goose is allowed to advance double the number of his or her throw.
9. cook someone's goose, Informal. to ruin someone's hopes, plans, chances, etc.: His goose was cooked when they found the stolen gems in his pocket.
v.t.
10. Slang. to poke (a person) between the buttocks to startle.
11. Informal.
a. to prod or urge to action or an emotional reaction: The promise of time off may goose the workers and increase profits.
b. to strengthen or improve (often fol. by up): Let's goose up the stew with some wine.
c. to increase; raise (often fol. by up): to goose up government loans in weak industries.
d. to give a spurt of fuel to (a motor) to increase speed.
[bef. 1000; ME gose, goos, OE gos (pl. ges); c. G Gans, ON gas; cf. Skt hansa, Gk chén, L anser]

* * *

I
Any of various large, heavy-bodied waterfowl (family Anatidae), especially those of the genera Anser (so-called gray geese) and Branta (so-called black geese), which are found only in the Northern Hemisphere.

Intermediate in size and build between ducks and swans, geese are less fully aquatic than either, and their legs are farther forward, allowing them to walk readily. Geese have a specially modified bill for grasping sedges and grasses, their main diet. The sexes are alike in coloration; males (called ganders) are usually larger than females. Both sexes utter loud honking or gabbling cries while in flight or when danger appears. Geese pair for life. Flocks traveling in V-formations migrate between their northern breeding grounds and southern wintering grounds. See also barnacle goose; Canada goose; greylag; nene.
II
(as used in expressions)

* * *

bird
 any of various large, heavy-bodied waterfowl intermediate in size and build between large ducks (duck) and the swans (swan), especially those of the genera Anser (so-called gray geese) and Branta (so-called black geese). Associated mainly with freshwater and living in the Northern Hemisphere, these genera include the Canada goose, white-fronted goose, barnacle goose, and snow goose, as well as the brant and nene.

 The sexes are alike in coloration, though males (ganders) usually are larger than females. The neck is always shorter than the body. The bill (beak) is humped at the base and tapered toward the tip; the plates of the bill are adapted for grasping the sedges and grasses upon which geese feed. The legs are farther forward than in swans and ducks, allowing the bird to walk readily. Both sexes utter loud honking or gabbling cries while on the wing or when danger appears. When angry, geese vibrate their neck feathers; after routing an intruder, the gander utters a triumphant note that is echoed by his mate and young goslings.

      Geese pair for life and associate in flocks called gaggles. Simple nests are built on the ground. The rough-surfaced, whitish eggs are incubated for about a month by the hen while the gander stands guard. The downy young fend for themselves almost at once but remain with their parents during the first summer. Geese may survive for 10–15 years in the wild and more than 30 years in captivity.

      These migratory birds winter in limited localities far south of their breeding grounds, although Canada geese (Branta canadensis) have become year-round residents of some areas. In migration they are greeted everywhere as harbingers of the changing seasons. Powerful and high fliers, they travel in V-formations to conserve energy by taking advantage of air currents (vortices) created by the wing tips.

      Also called geese are a number of waterfowl of gooselike build that live in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and belong to other groups. Among them are the magpie goose, sheldgoose, perching duck, Cape Barren goose of Australia, (Cereopsis novaehollandiae), African pygmy goose (Nettapus auritus), and the solan goose (see gannet).

French  L'oie,  

      ancient French board game, said to have been derived from the Greeks, which was popular in Europe at the end of the Middle Ages.

      Goose was played on a board upon which was drawn a fantastic scroll, called the jardin de l'oie (“goose garden”), divided into 63 spaces marked with certain emblems, such as an inn, a death's head, a bridge, and a labyrinth. The emblem inscribed on spaces 1 and 63, as well as on every ninth space between, was a goose.

      The object of the game was to land one's counter on number 63, after a series of moves to unoccupied spaces determined by the throw of two dice. A counter was moved forward, backward, or temporarily stalled, according to the space on which it was placed. Landing on an inn required a wait until two other players had played; landing on a death's head required a player to start over; and landing on a goose doubled the move. The game was usually played for a stake, and special fines were exacted for landing on certain spaces. At the end of the 18th century, a variation of the game was called jeu de la revolution française (“game of the French Revolution”).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Goose — (g[=oo]s), n.; pl. {Geese} (g[=e]s). [OE. gos, AS. g[=o]s, pl. g[=e]s; akin to D. & G. gans, Icel. g[=a]s, Dan. gaas, Sw. g[*a]s, Russ. guse. OIr. geiss, L. anser, for hanser, Gr. chh n, Skr. ha[.m]sa. [root]233. Cf. {Gander}, {Gannet}, {Ganza},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • goose — a large waterfowl proverbially noted, I know not why, for foolishness [Johnson], O.E. gos, from P.Gmc. *gans goose (Cf. O.Fris. gos, O.N. gas, O.H.G. gans, Ger. Gans goose ), from PIE *ghans (Cf. Skt. hamsah, masc., hansi, fem., goose, swan; Gk …   Etymology dictionary

  • Goose — steht für Goose (Band) belgische Elektro Rock und Dance Punk Band GOOSE Generic Object Oriented Substation Events, Netzwerkprotokoll das Wasserflugzeug Grumman G 21 Siehe auch XSM 73 Goose Goose Island Blue Goose Grey Goose Goose Creek …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • goose — UK US /guːs/ noun [C] ● the goose that lays the golden egg(s) Cf. the goose that lays the golden eggs ● kill the goose that lays the golden egg(s) Cf. kill the goose that lays the golden eggs …   Financial and business terms

  • goose — [go͞os] n. pl. for 1 3, geese; for 4 & 5, gooses [ME gose < OE gos, akin to Du & Ger gans, ON gas < IE * ĝhans > L anser; GOOSE vt. 1 prob. for the fact that geese sometimes attack children from the rear] 1. any of various long necked,… …   English World dictionary

  • Goose — (spr. Guhs), 1) Insel an der Südküste von Australien; 2) östliches Cap der Nordwestküste Neufoundlands; 3) (Goose Creek, spr. G. Krieck), Fluß im Staate Virginia (Nordamerika), entspringt[472] in der Grafschaft Fauquier u. fällt in den Potomac… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Goose — est un groupe de rock electro belge originaire de Courtrai. Il fut formé en 2000 par Mickael Karkousse, Dave Martijn, Tom Coghe et Bert Libeert. Leur single Audience fut diffusé à travers toute l Europe par Coca Cola dans une de leurs campagnes… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • goose — ► NOUN (pl. geese) 1) a large waterbird with a long neck, short legs, webbed feet, and a short, broad bill. 2) the female of such a bird. 3) informal a foolish person. ► VERB informal ▪ poke (someone) in the bottom. ORIGIN Old English …   English terms dictionary

  • Goose — Taxobox name = Goose image width = 240px image caption = Canada Goose, Branta canadensis regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves superordo = Galloanserae ordo = Anseriformes familia = Anatidae subfamilia = Anserinae tribus = Anserini… …   Wikipedia

  • goose — I UK [ɡuːs] / US [ɡus] noun Word forms goose : singular goose plural geese UK [ɡiːs] / US [ɡɪs] 1) a) [countable/uncountable] a large white or grey bird with a long beak called a bill. A male goose is called a gander and a young goose is called a …   English dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”