gowk
Americannoun
-
a stupid person; fool
-
a cuckoo
Etymology
Origin of gowk
1275–1325; Middle English goke < Old Norse gaukr; cognate with Old English gēac, German Gauch
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This is another fun term derived from the cuckoo, known as a gowk in some Scottish dialects.
From Time ● Mar. 20, 2014
Inglis, wha yokes wi' you's a gowk, atweel!
From Legends of the North; The Guidman O' Inglismill and The Fairy Bride by Patrick Buchan
Nea; I waur it' hoose man when it cam'; but"—the speaker looked wistfully towards the dark entrance we have named,—"but I'se sure Dick wouldna seay sae if"—— "Dick's a starin' gowk, and a coward too.
From Traditions of Lancashire, Volume 2 by John Roby
And, as Your Majesty kens, the hail biggin o' Your Majesty's language was the wark o' Lindley Murray, o' wham the varra name, ilka gowk can tell, belangs to Scotland.
From Punch - Volume 25 (Jul-Dec 1853) by Various
An' it maäde me seeä what a gowk I'd beeän to ha' gotten sa thick with a guse!
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 93, July 23, 1887. by Various
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
