Home » Dictionary » gibbled

gibbled

gibbled
 adj.— «In Saskatchewan, we’re all familiar with the word. “Gibbled” describes something that is broken or wobbly or otherwise dysfunctional. Usually it applies to things physical (“If you run on that gibbled ankle, the swelling will only get worse”), things mechanical (“How can I cut anything with these gibbled scissors?”) or things technological (“Ever since I downloaded that software, my fonts have been totally gibbled”). In other jurisdictions, however, they might wonder what we’re talking about.» —“Gibbled: another prairie contribution to English” by Les MacPherson Star Phoenix (Sasktaoon, Saskatchewan, Canada) Apr. 7, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

2 comments
  • I use that word all the time here in Regina. I had no idea it was a local saskatchewan thing. I’ve looked it up on wikipedia and dictionary.com and nothing’s there for it. It’s in the urban slang dictionary though.

    Since it’s a sask thing, I’ll have to make sure to use that word more 🙂

    Go riders! 🙂

  • My boyfriend, born and bred southern Ontario, uses the word “gibbled” to refer to a state of drunkeness. He claims the term comes from Niagara Falls.

Further reading

Bug in Your Ear (episode #1537)

Is there something inherent in English that makes it the linguistic equivalent of the Borg, dominating and consuming other languages in its path? No, not at all. The answer lies with politics and conquest rather than language itself. Plus: a new...

Beside Myself (episode #1535)

The new Downton Abbey movie is a luscious treat for fans of the public-television period piece, but how accurate is the script when it comes to the vocabulary of the early 20th century? It may be jarring to hear the word swag, but it was already at...

Recent posts