Gooseberry

//ˈɡusˌbɛɹi// noun, slang

Definitions

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

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

  2. 2
    currant-like berry used primarily in jams and jellies wordnet
  3. 3
    Any other plant or fruit in the subgenus Grossularia, distinguished from currants by bearing spines, including Ribes hirtellum (American gooseberry).
  4. 4
    spiny Eurasian shrub having greenish purple-tinged flowers and ovoid yellow-green or red-purple berries wordnet
  5. 5
    Any of several other plants that are not closely related but bear fruit in some way similar:; 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
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  1. 6
    Any of several other plants that are not closely related but bear fruit in some way similar:; Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica), emblic, amla.
  2. 7
    Any of several other plants that are not closely related but bear fruit in some way similar:; Ceylon gooseberry, a species of Dovyalis native to Sri Lanka and southern India
  3. 8
    Any of several other plants that are not closely related but bear fruit in some way similar:; Barbados gooseberry (Pereskia aculeata), an unusual cactus
  4. 9
    Any of several other plants that are not closely related but bear fruit in some way similar:; Long Key locustberry or shiny locustberry (Byrsonima lucida)
  5. 10
    Any of several other plants that are not closely related but bear fruit in some way similar:; Jamaican gooseberry tree (Phyllanthus acuminatus), a herb-like plant
  6. 11
    Any of several other plants that are not closely related but bear fruit in some way similar:; star gooseberry; Otaheite gooseberry (Phyllanthus acidus)
  7. 12
    Any of several other plants that are not closely related but bear fruit in some way similar:; star gooseberry; Katuk (Sauropus androgynus), a shrub grown in some tropical regions as a leaf vegetable
  8. 13
    Any of several other plants that are not closely related but bear fruit in some way similar:; Physalis angulata, also called balloon cherry and cutleaf groundcherry
  9. 14
    Any of several other plants that are not closely related but bear fruit in some way similar:; Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana), indigenous to South America
  10. 15
    Any of several other plants that are not closely related but bear fruit in some way similar:; poison gooseberry (Withania somnifera)
  11. 16
    A chaperone. British, dated, slang
  12. 17
    An additional person who is neither necessary nor wanted in a given situation. British

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

  13. 18
    A fool. British, dated, slang
  14. 19
    A fantastic story; a tall tale; a hoax. British, dated, slang
  15. 20
    A testicle. British, dated, plural-normally, slang, vulgar

Etymology

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.

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