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 Gaudeamus, subs. (colloquial).—A feast; a drinking bout; any sort of merry-making. [German students', but now general and popular.] From the first word of the mediæval (students') ditty. For synonyms, see Jamboree.

Gaudy (or Gaudy-day), subs. (common).—A feast or entertainment: specifically the annual dinner of the fellows of a college in memory of founders or benefactors; or a festival of the Inns of Court. (Lat. gaudere = to rejoice.)

1724. E. Coles, Eng. Dict. Gaudy days, college or Inns of Court festivals.

1754. B. Martin, Eng. Dict., 2nd ed. Gaudies, double commons, such as they have on Gaudy or grand Days in colleges.

1760. Foote, Minor, Act i. Dine at twelve, and regale, upon a gaudy day, with buns and beer at Islington.

1803. Gradus ad Cantab., p. 122. Cut lectures give gaudies and spreads.

1820. Lamb, Elia (Oxford in the Vacation). Methought I a little grudged at the coalition of the better Jude with Simon—clubbing (as it were) their sanctities together, to make up one poor gaudy-day between them.

1822. Scott, Fortunes of Nigel, ch. xxiii. We had a carouse to your honour we fought, too, to finish off the gaudy.

1878. Besant and Rice, By Celia's Arbour, ch. xxxiii. Champagne goes equally well with a simple luncheon of cold chicken, and with the most elaborate gaudy.

Adj. (colloquial).—Good; frolicsome; festive. Cf., Shakspeare's 'Let's have one other gaudy night.'—Ant. and Cleo., iii, 13.

1884. Hawley Smart. From Post to Finish, p. 176. 'Yes,' answered the trainer, slowly, 'he's right enough; but a Leger's a Leger, and I don't think they are likely to give him a very gaudy chance.'

Neat but not gaudy, as the devil said when he painted his bottom pink, and tied up his tail with pea-green, phr. (common).—A locution used to ancient ladies dressed in flaming colours.

Gauge. See Gage.

To get the gauge of. verb. phr. (colloquial).—To divine an intention; to read a character; to size, (or reckon) up (q.v.). Hence, That's about the gauge of it = That's a fair description.

Gauley. See by golly.

Gawf, subs. (costers').—A red-skinned apple.

1851-61. Mayhew, Lond. Lab., i., 63. A cheap red-skinned fruit, known to costers as gawfs, is rubbed hard, to look bright and feel soft, and is mixed with apples of a superior description. Gawfs are sweet and sour at once, I was told, and fit for nothing but mixing.

Gawk, subs. (colloquial).—A simpleton, especially an awkward one, whether male or female. For synonyms, see Buffle and Cabbage-head. [Scots Gowk = a cuckoo; a fool; whence, to gowk = to, play the fool. As in the 'Derision of Wanton Women' (Bannatyne, MS., 1567), 'To gar them ga in gucking' = to make them play the fool.]

1837. H. Martineau, Soc. in America, i., 299. They proved such gawks that they were unable to learn.

1882. McCabe, New York, p. 217. I wasn't half as awkward as some of the gawks about me.

1887. H. Frederic, Seth's Brother's Wife, ch. iv. Girls brought up to be awkward gawks, without a chance in life.

Verb. (colloquial).—To loiter round; to play the goat. [The same verb is used by Jonson