gawsy

American  

[gaw-see] / ˈgɔ si /

Or gawsie

adjective

Scot. and North England.

1. (of people) well-dressed and of cheerful appearance.

2. (of things) large and handsome.

---

Etymology

Origin of gawsy

First recorded in 1710–20; perhaps variant of gaudy ¹; cf. -sy

Example Sentences

We put up at Widow M'Vicar's, a relation to my first wife, a gawsy, furthy woman, taking great pleasure in hospitality.

From The World's Greatest Books — Volume 04 — Fiction by Hammerton, John Alexander, Sir

“Ye maun come, and bring your ladye fere;   Ye sall na say me no; And ye’se mind, we have aye a bed to spare   For that gawsy chield Guizot.”

From The Bon Gaultier Ballads by Doyle, Richard