Fowl play: You've cooked his goose

Q. What

A. You've spoilt his plans by getting in first. This probably arises from the idea that the goose which was being fattened for a feast was eaten early, so leaving nothing for the special occasion.

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Q. Why a goose

A. Why not It could be any edible creature, but goose was often on the menu on feast days and celebrations. It was, until the 20th century, traditional Christmas fare in Britain, after which turkey became popular.

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Q. So, how else do geese figure in English proverbs

A.

A goose - other than the obvious, this has two other meanings: an idiot; and a tailor's pressing iron (because the handle looks like a goose's neck)

To goose - to boo and hiss (like geese) at a performance; to press clothes with a goose (above); to poke or tickle a sensitive part of the body, and therefore, by extension, a slang word for sexual intercourse

Goose and gridiron - humorous name for the US coat of arms, which features the American eagle with a striped shield on its breast; also for the coat of arms of the Company of Musicians, which has a swan within a double 'tressure' (which looks like a gridiron), and is also known colloquially as the swan and harp

Goose egg - the US version of being out for a duck ('duck's egg', in full)

Goose fair - a fair held around Michaelmas (29 September), formerly in many English towns, but now surviving only in Nottingham and the Tavistock Goosey Fair in early October; so called because at that time of year geese were plentiful

To say all your geese are swans - to overestimate the value of something

As loose as a goose - chilled out; perhaps just because it rhymes nicely, but maybe because geese have a tendency to defecate everywhere

Golden goose - the folkloric goose which daily laid a golden egg for its owner, until the time that the owner got greedy and killed it in order to get all the gold at once, thus getting nothing; so to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs is to sacrifice the future for short-term gain

Mother Goose - the old pantomime stalwart

Spruce Goose - the largest plane ever built, developed by American billionaire Howard Hughes between 1942 and 1947; an eight-engined, wooden flying-boat designed to carry 750 passengers, Hughes piloted the Spruce Goose on its only flight, a total distance of one mile, after which time it was returned to its hangar, where it remains

He wouldn't say boo to a goose - mild mannered

Wayzgoose - traditionally an annual dinner, featuring goose, for those employed in a printing house; wayz meant 'hay' so the term refers to the time of year at which the feast would have taken place, harvest time, when the geese were at their fattest

What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander - what's good for you is good for me

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Q. What about gooseflesh

A. Also goosebumps or goose-pimples: a description of the appearance of the skin caused by cold or shock. Under these conditions the hairs on the skin stick up to try to create a blanket in order to keep in a warm layer of air next to the body. It could easily have been chickenflesh - or chicken-pimples, just imagine.

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Q. And the goose step

A. Known as the Stechshcritt in Germany - where it has been the full-dress march since the time of Frederick the Great of Prussia in the mid 18th century - this military step involves swinging the legs forward with a straight knee to an exaggerated height. Other armies have also adopted the style at various times. During the Fascist era in Italy it was adopted by the Italian army, but soon dropped after much ridicule from those opposed to it.

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Interestingly, despite the fact that it was lampooned mercilessly by the British during the Second World War, there had earlier been attempts to introduce it as a recruiting drill in the British Army.

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Q. And are geese particularly fond of gooseberries

A. While the name of these fruit may arise from a combination of goose and berry - though why has never been explained - there is no evidence to suggest that geese are inclined to feast on them. A more likely derivation of the name is from the French word, groseille, which still survives in some English dialects as 'groser', so groserberry becomes gooseberry.

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See also the article on eggs

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For more on Phrases and Sayings click here

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By Simon Smith