Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Word of the day: wayzgoose

It turns out that August 24 means something: wayzgoose , the Oxford English Dictionary Word of the Day:

An entertainment given by a master printer to his workmen around St Bartholomew’s Day (24 August), marking the beginning of the season of working by candlelight. In later use: an annual festivity held in summer by the members of a printing establishment, consisting of a dinner and (usually) an excursion into the country.
A sample sentence (1875): “The wayzgoose generally consists of a trip into the country, open air amusements, a good dinner, and speeches and toasts afterwards.” A 2005 citation makes clear that the annual festivity continues in the world of printers. Seattle printers will have a wayzgoose in September.

comments: 2

Geo-B said...

I always appreciated the wayzgoose Goslin played baseball, especially his hitting. Born in New Jersey, died in New Jersey, made the Hall of Fame.

Michael Leddy said...

I was thinking: how do I know his name? And then I realized that I was mistaking him for Goose Gossage.