gooseberry
noun /ˈɡʊzbəri/
/ˈɡuːsberi/
(plural gooseberries)
Idioms - a small green fruit that grows on a bush with thorns. Gooseberries have a bitter sharp taste and are usually cooked to make jam, pies, etc. Children are sometimes told that babies come from ‘under the gooseberry bush’.
enlarge image- a gooseberry bush
Word Originmid 16th cent.: the first element perhaps from goose, or perhaps based on Old French groseille, altered because of an unexplained association with the bird.
Idioms
play gooseberry
- (British English) to be a third person with two people who have a romantic relationship and want to be alone together