1320–30. Gawaine, 957. That other wyth a gorger watz gored ouer the
swyre.
Gorgonzola Hall, subs. phr. (Stock Exchange).—Formerly the New Hall;
now the corporation generally. [From the colour of the marble.]
1887. Atkin, House Scraps, Gorgonzola Hall got turned into New
Billingsgate.
Gorm, verb. (American University).—To gorge (q.v.). For synonyms, see
Wolf.
I’m gormed, phr. (popular).—A profane oath. See Gaum.
1849. Dickens, David Copperfield, ch. iii. If it [his generosity]
were ever referred to, ... he struck the table a heavy blow with
his right hand (had split it on one such occasion), and swore a
dreadful oath that he would be gormed if he didn’t cut and run for
good, if it was ever mentioned again.
1883. Punch, May 19, p. 230, c. 2. Why, of course I hardly expects
to be believed, but I’m gormed if there was more than six of one
and half-a-dozen of the other.
1884. Julian Sturgis, in Longman’s Mag., iii., 623. ‘Gormed if
there ain’t that old parson again!’ cried Henry, with enthusiasm.
Gormagon, subs. (old).—See quots.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. A monster with six eyes, three
mouths, four arms, eight legs, five on one side and three on the
other, three arses, two tarses, and a cunt upon its back; a man on
horseback with a woman behind him.
1892. Fennell, Stanford Dict., s.v., Gormagon ... a member of an
English Secret Society which existed in the second quarter of 18 c.
Gormy-ruddles, subs. (common).—The intestines.
Gorram (or Goram).—See By Goldam.
Gorry.—See By Gorry!
Goschens, subs. (Stock Exchange).—The 2¾ per cent. Government Stock
created by Mr. Goschen in 1888.
1889. Man of the World, 29 June. The nickname Goschens is going out
of fashion. The new 2¾ stock is now called by the old name.
1891. Punch, 4 Apr. Securities yielding a larger return than 2¾
Goschens.
Gosh, see by gosh.
Gospel, subs. (colloquial).—1. Anything offered as absolutely true.
Also gospel-truth.
1862. H. Kingsley, Ravenshoe, ch. lx. She is a good young woman,
and a honest young woman in her way, and what she says this night
about her brother is gospel-truth.
1864. Derby Day, p. 35. Apparently unable to resist the powerful
influences brought to bear upon him, he replied, in a tone which
carried the impress of veracity with it, ‘Gospel.’
1891. N. Gould, Double Event, p. 175. It was true as gospel.
To do gospel, verb. phr. (common).—To go to church.
Gospel-gab, subs. (common).—Insincere talk concerning religion; cant.
1892. Hume Nisbet, Bushranger’s Sweetheart, p. 146. Yes; when I saw
I was in for it, I told them my name and all about my father
without any reserve; that, with a little gospel-gab and howling
penitence, got the church people interested in me, and so I was let
off easily.
Gospel-Grinder (-postillion, -sharp, or -shark), subs. (common).—A
clergyman or missionary. For synonyms, see devil-dodger and sky-pilot;—
French Synonyms.—La forêt noire (thieves’ = the black forest); une
entonne ramparte (thieves’); entonner = to intone; une antiffle
(thieves’); une cavée (thieves’ = a black hole); une chique (thieves’).
Spanish Synonym.—Salud.
Italian Synonyms.—Balza; balzana.
1869. S. L. Clemens, Innocents at Home, p. 19. ‘A what!’
‘Gospel-sharp—parson.’ ‘Oh! why did you not say so before? I am a
clergyman—a parson.’
1877. Besant and Rice, Golden Butterfly, ch. viii. Else we should
be as stagnant as a Connecticut Gospel-grinder in his village
location.
Gospeller, subs. (colloquial).—An Evangelist preacher; in contempt.
Also Hot-gospeller (= a preaching fanatic.)
Gospel-mill (or -shop), subs. (common).—A church or chapel. Also
schism-shop and doxology-works (q.v.).
1782. Geo. Parker, Humorous Sketches, p. 88. From Whitfield and
Romaine to Pope John range; Each Gospel-shop ringing a daily
change.
1791. Life of J. Lackington, Letter xix. As soon as I had procured
a lodging and work my next enquiry was for Mr. Wesley’s
Gospel-shops.
1852. Judson, Mysteries of New York, pt. II., ch. ii., p. 13. On
about that ere gospel-shop as you was agoin for to crack last week.
1869. S. L. Clemens (Mark Twain) Innocents at Home, p. 17, 18. Are
you the duck that runs the gospel-mill next door.
1892. Milliken, ’Arry Ballads, p. 35. It’s all gospel-shop gruel.
Goss (or Gossamer), subs. (common).—A hat. (At first a make of peculiar
lightness called a four-and-nine (q.v.).) In quot. 1836 = a white hat.
For synonyms, see Golgotha.
1836. Dickens, Pickwick, ch. xii. ‘That’s one thing, and every hole
lets in some air, that’s another—wentilation gossamer I calls it.’
On the delivery of this sentiment, Mr. Weller smiled agreeably upon
the assembled Pickwickians.
1838. Jas. Grant, Sketches in London, ch. ix., p. 294. Another
passenger inquired whether the hat was ‘a vashing beaver von?’
while a fourth inquired whether it was ‘a gossamer ventilator?’
1851. H. Mayhew, Lond. Lab. and Lond. Poor, Vol. II., p. 49. I have
sold hats from 6d. to 3s. 6d., but very seldom 3s. 6d. The 3s. 6d.
ones would wear out two new gossamers, I know.
1884. A. Lang, Much Darker Days, p. 25. Yes, the white hat, lying
there all battered and crushed on the white snow, must be the hat
of Sir Runan! ... who else would wear the gay gossamer of July in
stormy December?
1888. Harper’s Magazine, LXXVII., 139. Flinging off his gossamer
and hanging it up to drip into the pan of the hat rack.
To give (or get) goss, verb. phr. (American).—To requite an injury; to
kill; to go strong; to get an opportunity; to put in big licks (q.v.).
Sometimes ejaculatory, as ‘Give me goss and let me rip!’
1847. Robb, Squatter Life, p. 75. Gin him goss without sweetin.
1847. Darley, Drama in Porterville, p. 114. Divers hints passed
from one to another among the more excitable citizens, that ‘Old
Sol’ was going to get goss, sure.
1847. Porter, Quarter Race, etc., p. 115. Shouts of ‘Fair play,’
‘Turn ’em out,’ ‘Give him goss,’ were heard on all sides.
a. 1852. Traits of American Humour, II., 261. Ef I don’t, the old
man will give me goss when I go back.
Gossoon, subs. (colloquial Irish).—A boy. [A corruption of Fr., garçon
= a boy.]
Gotch-gutted, adj. (old).—Pot-bellied; ‘a gotch in Norfolk, signifying
a pitcher or large round jug.’—Grose.
Got ’em Bad, phr. (common).—A superlative of earnestness or
excessiveness: e.g., anyone doing his work thoroughly, a horse
straining every nerve, a very sick person, especially a patient in the
horrors (q.v.), is said to have got ’em bad.
Got ’em On (or All On), phr. (common).—Dressed in the height of
fashion. See Rigged Out.
1880. Punch, 28 Aug., p. 90.
188(?). Broadside Ballad, ‘’Arry.’ Where are you going on Sunday,
’Arry, now you’ve got ’em on?
188(?). Broadside Ballad. ‘He’s got ’em on.’
Goth, subs. (common).—A frumpish or uncultured person; one behind the
times or ignorant of the ways of society.
1712. Spectator, No. 367. But I shall never sink this paper so far
as to engage with Goths and Vandals.
1751. Smollett, Peregrine Pickle, ch. lxi. You yourself are a Goth
... to treat with such disrespect a production which ... will, when
finished, be a masterpiece of its kind.
1865. Ouida, Strathmore, ch. ii. For God’s sake don’t suppose me
such a Goth that I should fall in love with a dairymaid, Strath!
Gotham, subs. (common).—New York City. Gothamite, a New Yorker. [First
used by Washington Irving in Salmagundi (1807).]
1852. Jutson, Mysteries of New York. ch. xiii. One of the vilest of
all hells in Gotham.
1852. Bristed, Upper Ten Thousand, p. 37. The first thing, as a
general rule, that a young Gothamite does is to get a horse.
Gothic, adj. (old).—See Goth.
1700. Congreve, The Way of the World, iv. 4. Ah, rustic, ruder than
Gothic!
1773. Goldsmith, She Stoops to Conquer, ii., 8. Why, with his usual
Gothic vivacity, he said I only wanted him to throw off his wig to
convert it into a tête for my own wearing.
Go-to-meeting Bags (or Clothes, Dress, etc.), subs. phr. (common).—Best
clothes. [As worn on Sundays, or holiday occasions.]
1837–40. Haliburton, The Clockmaker, p. 243 (Ed. 1862). If he
hadn’t his go-to-meetin’ dress and looks on this day to the jury,
it’s a pity.
1854. Bradley, Verdant Green, Pt. II., p. 5. Besides his black
go-to-meeting bags please to observe the peculiarity, etc.
1856. Hughes, Tom Brown’s Schooldays, pt. II., ch. v. I want to
give you a true picture of what every-day school life was in my
time, and not a kid-glove and go-to-meeting-coat picture.
1857. Kingsley, Two Years Ago. Looks right well in her
go-to-meeting clothes.
Gouge, subs. (American).—An imposture; a swindle; a method of cheating.
1845. New York Tribune, 10 Dec. R—— and H—— will probably receive
from Mr. Polk’s administration $100,000 more than respectable
printers would have done the work for. There is a clean, plain
gouge of this sum out of the people’s strong box.
Verb. (old).—1. Grose says, ‘To squeeze out a man’s eye with the thumb,
a cruel practice used by the Bostonians in America.’
1848. Ruxton, Life in the Far West, p. 49. His eyes having been
gouged in a mountain fray.