gooseberry
gooseberry Lexical Profile
gooseberry Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The edible, round, tart fruit of various shrubs of the genus Ribes, typically green, yellow, or red, and often used in desserts, jams, and pies.
"We gathered a large basket of tart green gooseberries from the garden to bake into a summer crumble."
British An unwanted third person accompanying a romantic couple; a third wheel.
"I declined the invitation to the cinema because I didn't want to feel like a gooseberry while they were on their date."
Any of the thorny shrubs of the genus Ribes (especially Ribes uva-crispa) that bear these tart berries, native to Europe, northwestern Africa, and southwestern Asia.
"The gardener pruned the gooseberry carefully to avoid getting scratched by its sharp thorns."
Word Nuance & Usage
In British and Commonwealth English, 'playing gooseberry' is a common idiom meaning to act as an unwanted third person (a 'third wheel') accompanying a romantic couple.
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the 1530s, its exact origin is disputed. It is most likely a folk-etymological alteration of an older European word for the fruit (like Old French 'groseille' or Middle High German 'krus') made to sound like 'goose' + 'berry', though the tart fruit was also historically cooked into sauces served with roast goose.