gooseberry
/'guzbəri/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A small, round, edible berry: A gooseberry is a tart, currant-like fruit, typically green, red, or purple, used in cooking, especially for making jams, jellies, pies, and desserts.
- The thorny shrub that produces this fruit: A spiny shrub (Ribes uva-crispa) native to Europe, northwestern Africa, and southwestern Asia, which bears the gooseberry fruit.
Examples of Usage
- Noun (Fruit):
- She made a delicious gooseberry pie for dessert.
- The recipe calls for fresh gooseberries to make the jam.
- Noun (Plant):
- The gooseberry bush in the garden is full of thorns.
- We planted a new gooseberry last spring.
Advanced Usage
- "to play gooseberry" (British Idiom): To be an unwanted third person present when two people, especially a couple, wish to be alone together. This usage is derived from the fruit name.
- I felt like I was playing gooseberry on their date, so I made an excuse to leave.
Variants and Related Words
- Gooseberry bush (n): The shrub on which gooseberries grow.
- The children were warned not to play near the gooseberry bush.
- Gooseberry fool (n): A traditional British dessert made from pureed, sweetened gooseberries mixed with custard or whipped cream.
- For a classic summer pudding, try gooseberry fool.
Synonyms
- Berry: A general term for a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit.
- Fruit: The sweet and fleshy product of a tree or other plant that contains seed.
Related Idioms
- "to play gooseberry": As detailed in the 'Advanced Usage' section, this idiom specifically uses the word "gooseberry" to describe an awkward social situation.
Noun
- currant-like berry used primarily in jams and jellies
- spiny Eurasian shrub having greenish purple-tinged flowers and ovoid yellow-green or red-purple berries