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Hen vs Goose - What's the difference?

hen | goose |

As a noun goose is

any of various grazing waterfowl of the family anatidae, bigger than a duck.

As a verb goose is

(slang) to sharply poke or pinch someone's buttocks derived from a goose's inclination to bite at a retreating intruder's hindquarters.

hen

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) henne, heonne, hinne, from earlier henene, heonenen, henen, from (etyl) heonan, hionan, heonane, . See also (l).

Adverb

(en adverb)
  • (dialectal) Hence.

    • Etymology 2

    From , or a variant of hench.

    Verb

    (henn)
  • (dialectal) To throw.

    • Etymology 3

    From (etyl), from (etyl) henn, .

    Alternative forms

    * (l) (obsolete)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A female bird.
  • (specifically ) A female chicken, especially one kept for its eggs.
  • * , title=The Mirror and the Lamp
    • , chapter=2 citation , passage=She was a fat, round little woman, richly apparelled in velvet and lace, […]; and the way she laughed, cackling like a hen , the way she talked to the waiters and the maid, […]—all these unexpected phenomena impelled one to hysterical mirth, and made one class her with such immortally ludicrous types as Ally Sloper, the Widow Twankey, or Miss Moucher.}}
  • (slang) A woman.
  • (informal) The woman whose impending marriage is being celebrated at a hen night.
    • Derived terms
    * henbane * hen harrier * hen party * henpecked * mother hen
    See also
    * * broody

    Anagrams

    * * 1000 English basic words ----

    goose

    English

    Noun

    (geese)
  • Any of various grazing waterfowl of the family Anatidae, bigger than a duck
    • There is a flock of geese on the pond.
  • The flesh of the goose used as food.
  • *
  • (slang) A silly person
  • * {{quote-book, 1906, Langdon Mitchell, chapter=The New York Idea, Best Plays of the Early American Theatre, 1787-1911, page=430 citation
    • , passage=I'm sorry for you, but you're such a goose .}}
  • (archaic) A tailor's iron, heated in live coals or embers, used to press fabrics.
  • * Scene 3:
    • Come in, tailor. Here you may roast your goose .
  • (South Africa, slang, dated) A young woman or girlfriend.

    • Usage notes

    * A male goose is called a gander. A young goose is a gosling. * A group of geese can be called a gaggle when they are on the ground or in the water, and a skein or a wedge when they are in flight.

    Synonyms

    * (sense, tailor's iron) goose iron

    Derived terms

    * game of the goose * goose egg * goose game * goose pimple * gooseneck * goose-step * Mother Goose * what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander * one's goose is cooked

    See also

    * duck * eider * gander * swan * waterfowl

    Verb

    (goos)
  • (slang) To sharply poke or pinch someone's buttocks. Derived from a goose's inclination to bite at a retreating intruder's hindquarters.
  • To stimulate, to spur.
  • (slang) To gently accelerate an automobile or machine, or give repeated small taps on the accelerator.
  • (UK slang) Of private-hire taxi drivers, to pick up a passenger who has not pre-booked a cab. This is unauthorised under UK licensing conditions.
    • English nouns with irregular plurals