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goose

[goos]

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noun

any of numerous wild or domesticated, web-footed swimming birds of the family Anatidae, especially of the genera Anser and Branta, most of which are larger and have a longer neck and legs than the ducks.

the female of this bird, as distinguished from the male, or gander.

the flesh of a goose, used as food.

a silly or foolish person; simpleton.

Slang. a poke between the buttocks to startle.

EXPAND

Informal. anything that energizes, strengthens, or the like: to give the economy a badly needed goose.

a tailor's smoothing iron with a curved handle.

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.

COLLAPSE

verb (used with object)

Slang. to poke (a person) between the buttocks to startle.

10.

Informal.

to prod or urge to action or an emotional reaction: The promise of time off may goose the workers and increase profits.

to strengthen or improve (often followed by up): Let's goose up the stew with some wine.

to increase; raise (often followed by up): to goose up government loans in weak industries.

to give a spurt of fuel to (a motor) to increase speed.

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Goose is always a great word to know.

So is geriatric. Does it mean:

unmitigated effrontery or impudence; gall, audacity, or nerve

an old person

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Idiom

11.

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.

Origin:
before 1000; Middle English gose, goos, Old English gōs (plural gēs); cognate with German Gans, Old Norse gās; compare Sanskrit haṅsa, Greek chḗn, Latin ānser

Related forms

goose·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To goose

Example Sentences

Sometimes, all it takes to win the goose war is a fresh approach.

If the date last modified is later than the date the student claims hu turned it in, give the big fat goose egg on this one.

Close-up glaring would go and the silliest of goose steps, which strain the knees, might be eased.

EXPAND

Collins

World English Dictionary

goose¹ (ɡuːs)

—n , pl geese, gooses
1.	brent goose barnacle goose greylag See also snow goose any of various web-footed long-necked birds of the family Anatidae: order Anseriformes. They are typically larger and less aquatic than ducks and are gregarious and migratoryRelated: anserine
2.	the female of such a bird, as opposed to the male (gander)
3.	informal a silly person
4.	a pressing iron with a long curving handle, used esp by tailors
5.	the flesh of the goose, used as food
6.	all his geese are swans he constantly exaggerates the importance of a person or thing
7.	informal cook someone's goose
	a. to spoil someone's plans
	b. to bring about someone's ruin, downfall, etc
8.	kill the goose that lays the golden eggs See also golden goose to sacrifice future benefits for the sake of momentary present needs

Related: anserine

[Old English gōs; related to Old Norse gās, Old High German gans, Old Irish gēiss swan, Greek khēn, Sanskrit hainsas]

goose² (ɡuːs)

—vb
1.	(tr) to prod (a person) playfully in the behind

—n , gooses
2.	a playful prod in the behind

[C19: from goose¹, probably from a comparison with the jabbing of a goose's bill]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

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. khen; L. anser; Pol. ges "goose;" Lith. zasis

EXPAND

"goose;" O.Ir. geiss "swan"), probably imitative of its honking. Sp. ganso "goose" is from a Gmc. source. Loss of "n" sound is normal before "s." Plural form geese is an example of i-mutation. Meaning "simpleton" is from 1547. The verbal meaning "jab in the rear" (c.1880) is possibly from resemblance of the upturned thumb to a goose's beak. To cook one's goose first attested 1845, of unknown origin; attempts to connect it to Swedish history and Gk. fables have been unconvincing. Goose egg "zero" first attested 1866 in baseball slang. Goose bumps (1933) was earlier goose flesh (c.1810) and goose skin (1785). The goose that laid the golden egg is from Aesop. Goose step (1806) originally was a military drill to teach balance; "to stand on each leg alternately and swing the other back and forth" (which, presumably, reminded someone of a goose's way of walking); in reference to "marching without bending the knees" (as in Nazi military reviews) it apparently is first recorded 1916.

COLLAPSE

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

goose definition

n.
a silly oaf; an oaf. : Oh, I'm such a silly goose!
tv.
to (attempt to) poke something, such as a finger, in someone's anus. : Freddy tried to goose me!
n.
an attempt to goosesomeone. (As in sense 2.) : He tried to give me a goose.
tv.
to rev up an engine; to press down hard on the accelerator of a car. : Why don't you goose the thing and see how fast it'll go?
n.
an act of suddenly pressing down the accelerator of a car. : Give it a good goose and see what happens.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

goose

In addition to the idioms beginning with goose, also see cook someone's goose; gone coon (goose); kill the goose that laid the golden eggs; sauce for the goose; wild goose chase.