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Posted By: of troy goose, gander and gosling... - 02/28/04 04:17 AM
how do you say gosling?

i caught a clip on TV, and the question was what is the name for a baby goose?

the contestent 'correctly' answered gosling--
it sounded something like gawse ling(to rhyme with hawse

i know the word, but would say it goss (to rhyme with Hoss the character in the Virginians, or cos (as in Cos cob) or pos (as in possy) (but not toss, moss, boss, loss!)

so what is its gawse ling"
or gos ling?

Posted By: Capfka Re: goose, gander and gosling... - 02/28/04 09:35 AM
Well, I say "gozzling". Can't claim it as being an authorative view, but!

Posted By: Buffalo Shrdlu Re: goose, gander and gosling... - 02/28/04 12:31 PM
I'm with Cap n cob...

Posted By: Wordwind Re: goose, gander and gosling... - 02/28/04 01:09 PM
I checked MW, and the "s" pronunciation is not included; instead, two choices, both with "z's", are offered.

Posted By: Faldage Re: goose, gander and gosling... - 02/28/04 01:39 PM
so what is its gawse ling"
or gos ling?


Yes. Among others.

Posted By: jheem Re: goose, gander and gosling... - 02/28/04 03:56 PM
/'gu:s/
/'g{nd@r/
/'gA:zlIN/

http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/sampa/english.htm


Posted By: wwh Re: goose, gander and gosling... - 02/28/04 05:18 PM
We raised some 'gozzlings'.My younger son annoyed the goose as she was incubating her eggs. As he was bending down sassing her, the gander came up behind him and "goosed" him, and got a good grip on his genitalia.

Posted By: jheem anserine husbandry - 02/28/04 09:23 PM
We used to have some geese on the ranch I grew up on, and I use to like to get down at their level, sitting on my haunches, and use my arm as a faux goose head and neck. Snaking it up and down, back and forth. Drove the gander into fits. He'd charge, and I'd stand up and throw my arms out wide. Face to face with a taller creature, geese will back down, but don't turn your back on 'em for a moment.

Posted By: wwh Re: anserine husbandry - 02/28/04 09:47 PM
Another thing about ganders many people are unaware of is
that a blow from their wing can feel like being struck by
an axe handle.

Posted By: Wordwind Re: anserine husbandry - 02/29/04 06:40 PM
AnnaS and I were attacked by a goose. I learned that geese are used as watchdogs at some distillaries in Scotland. Would like to know how they're trained.

Posted By: wwh Re: anserine husbandry - 02/29/04 07:42 PM
Train geese to guard? The same way the Romans did the
geese that warned them that the Gauls were attacking
in the night.

Posted By: jheem Re: anserine husbandry - 02/29/04 07:45 PM
I think it comes natural to them.

Posted By: wwh Re: anserine husbandry - 02/29/04 07:52 PM
When we had chickens, we had Guinea fowl to warn about
hawks overhead. But the Guinea fowl insisted on sleeping
up in tall pines, and racoons got them. What a racket
those Guinea fowl could make!

Posted By: Zed Re: faux goose head - 03/02/04 12:17 AM
A few years back I was in a park where everything was peaceful: sun shining, woman reading on a park bench, swan nibbling grass nearby and me walking. Then another woman started Tai Chi. One of the moves (snake something) made her arm look like a birds head and neck. The swan had, quite literally, a hissy fit. Up on tiptoe, wings out and flapping, feathers all fluffed out to twice his peaceful size and hissing like a cobra. We were the ones who backed down! The woman left muttering something about doing her martial arts somewhere else where the birds wouldn't object.

Posted By: Wordwind Re: faux goose head - 03/03/04 01:04 AM
Great story, Zed!

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