goose-flesh

A child gets goose-flesh from the cold wind.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A temporary roughness of the skin caused by cold, fear, or excitement, resembling the skin of a plucked goose. It is characterized by small bumps at the base of hairs.

Usage Examples

• (The skin became bumpy due to cold.)
• (Fear caused the skin to react with bumps.)
• (Excitement or emotion triggered the physical response.)

Advanced Usage

• "to give someone goose-flesh": to cause someone to experience this skin reaction, often from fear or strong emotion.
  • The ghost story gave me goose-flesh. (The story induced a physical reaction of fear.)

Variants and Related Words

• Goose-skin (noun): an alternative term for goose-flesh, referring to the same condition.
  • The cold wind caused goose-skin on her legs. (The same bumpy skin reaction.)

Synonyms

• Goosebumps: the most common modern synonym for goose-flesh, especially in informal usage.
• Piloerection: the technical term for the involuntary raising of hairs due to cold or fear.

Related Idioms

• "to make one's flesh creep": to cause a feeling of disgust or fear, often resulting in goose-flesh.
  • The eerie silence made his flesh creep. (The atmosphere caused a physical reaction similar to goose-flesh.)