gooseberry

From goose +‎ berry. It is possible that the first element was originally something related to the gros- of French groseille and/or the kruis- of Dutch kruisbes but has been altered by folk etymology.

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɡusˌbɛɹi/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɡʊzb(ə)ɹi/, /ˈɡuːsb(ə)ɹi/

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gooseberry (plural gooseberries)

1. A fruit, Ribes uva-crispa, related to the currant.

   We had a good haul of gooseberries from our bushes this year.

2. Any other plant or fruit in the subgenus Grossularia, distinguished from currants by bearing spines, including Ribes hirtellum, the American gooseberry.
3. Any of several other plants that are not closely related but bear fruit in some way similar:
   1. the Chinese gooseberry or kiwifruit, the edible berry of a cultivar group of the woody vine Actinidia deliciosa and hybrids between this and other species in the genus Actinidia
   2. the Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica), emblic, amla.
   3. the Ceylon gooseberry, a species of Dovyalis native to Sri Lanka and southern India
   4. the Barbados gooseberry (Pereskia aculeata), an unusual cactus
   5. The Long Key locustberry or shiny locustberry (Byrsonima lucida)
   6. Jamaican gooseberry tree (Phyllanthus acuminatus), a herb-like plant
   7. star gooseberry
      1. Otaheite gooseberry (Phyllanthus acidus)
      2. Katuk (Sauropus androgynus), a shrub grown in some tropical regions as a leaf vegetable
   8. Physalis angulata, also called balloon cherry and cutleaf groundcherry
   9. Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana), indigenous to South America
   10. poison gooseberry (Withania somnifera)
4. (dated, British slang) A chaperone.[1]
5. (chiefly Britain) An additional person who is neither necessary nor wanted in a given situation.

   Robert and Susan were so in love with each other that nobody could go near them without feeling like a gooseberry.

   • 1915, Montgomery, Lucy Maud, “In the Park”, in Anne of the Island:

     "But," said Philippa dolefully, "if I go I'll have to be gooseberry, and that will be a new experience for Philippa Gordon."

   • 1993 October 21, Craig Charles as Dave Lister, Gunmen of the Apocalypse (Red Dwarf), season 6, episode 3, written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor:

     Kryten, you are a total gooseberry. Next time I play on the AR machine I'm going to give you some money and send you to the pictures.

6. (dated, British slang) A fool.[1]
7. (dated, British slang) A fantastic story; a tall tale; a hoax.[1][2]
8. (dated, British slang, vulgar, usually in the plural) A testicle.[1]

• (fruit): goosegog (UK informal)
• (additional person): third wheel, fifth wheel
• (fool): see Thesaurus:fool
• (testicle): see Thesaurus:testicles