Geezers: Silly Clothes or Cranky Old Dudes?

A retired Montana listener says a buddy fondly referred to their friend group as geezers, a joking term for a person, usually male, who’s advanced in years, possibly with too much time on their hands. In 19th-century England, the word geezer more often denoted “someone who acts strangely,” and not necessarily an older person. Geezer apparently comes from the much older term guiser, also spelled geyser. In the 15th century, guisers were people who dressed up in silly clothes, going house to house to entertain folks on holidays, putting on little plays while wearing face paint or masks—in other words, guisers were mummers who were literally in disguise. This is part of a complete episode.