gongoozle

English

Etymology

Possibly arose from Lincolnshire dialect, in which gawn and gooze both mean stare or gape. Popularised by L. T. C. Rolt in Narrow Boat (1944), a book on canal life.

Verb

gongoozle (third-person singular simple present gongoozles, present participle gongoozling, simple past and past participle gongoozled)

1. (intransitive) To leisurely watch the passage of boats, from the bank of a canal, lock or bridge.
2. (intransitive) To observe things idly.

Derived terms

• gongoozler

References

• Gongoozle, Granny Buttons 2004.