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grouse

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grouse

1[grous]
–noun, plural grouse, grous⋅es.
1. any of numerous gallinaceous birds of the subfamily Tetraoninae. Compare black grouse, capercaillie, ruffed grouse, spruce grouse.
2. British. the red grouse.

Origin:
1525–35; orig. uncert.


grouseless, adjective
grouselike, adjective

grouse

2[grous] verb, groused, grous⋅ing, noun Informal.
–verb (used without object)
1. to grumble; complain: I've never met anyone who grouses so much about his work.
–noun
2. a complaint.

Origin:
1850–55; orig. uncert.; cf. grouch


grouser, noun


1. gripe, fret, fuss.

grouse

3[grous]
–adjective Australian Slang.
excellent; great; wonderful.

Origin:
1940–45; orig. uncert.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To grouse
grouse 1   (grous)   
n.   pl. grouse or grous·es
Any of various plump, chickenlike game birds of the family Tetraonidae, chiefly of the Northern Hemisphere and having mottled brown or grayish plumage.

[Origin unknown.]
grouse 2   (grous)   
intr.v.   groused, grous·ing, grous·es
To complain; grumble.
n.  A cause for complaint; a grievance.

[Perhaps from French dialectal groucer, from Old French grouchier; see grudge.]
grous'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
grouse [grɑʊs]

  1. in.
    to complain. : Paul is always grousing about something.
  2. n.
    a woman; women considered sexually. : Who's the grouse I saw you with last night?
  3. in.
    to neck; to pet and kiss. : They were grousing in the backseat the whole trip.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

grouse  (n.)
"bird," 1531, grows (pl., used collectively), of unknown origin, possibly from Latin or Welsh.

grouse  (v.)
"complain," 1887, British Army slang (first recorded by Kipling), of uncertain origin but perhaps from Norman Fr. dial. groucer, from O.Fr. groucier "to murmur, grumble," of imitative origin (cf. Gk. gru "a grunt," gruzein "to grumble").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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