What’s a gongoozler? Today a gongoozler is anyone who just stands around watching things, but the term originated in the slang of British canal workers, who specifically applied it to onlookers inordinately interested in their work. A 1904 glossary of canal terms defines a gongoozler as “an idle and inquisitive person who stands staring for prolonged periods at anything out of the common.” Similarly, the Italian neologism umarell/) denotes an older fellow who stands around at construction sites offering unsolicited commentary. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Gongoozlers, Standing Around, Watching”
You’re listening to Away with Words, the show about language and how we use it. I’m Grant Barrett. And I’m Martha Barnette.
And Grant, when you and I do speaking engagements around the country, there’s one question that always seems to come up during the Q and A.
Well, besides how can I do what you do?
Right.
Right.
What are you thinking of?
I’m thinking of how often we get asked what’s your favorite word?
Oh, that’s a hard one. It’s so hard.
And you and I both have kind of the same stock response, which is it’s like choosing your favorite child or your favorite star in the sky.
Yes.
But people do have favorite children and they do have favorite stars in the sky.
Well, yeah, and sometimes things change.
And that’s what I was going to say is is that I have a new favorite word.
All right.
All right.
This is a moment. Let’s have it.
Okay.
All right.
Maybe you already know this.
The word is gongoozler.
Wow.
Okay.
Lovely.
I’ve lots of potential here.
Talk to us about it.
Yeah, okay.
Gongoozler.
That’s G-O-N-G-O-O-Z-L-E-R.
A gongoozler is somebody
Who stands around watching things.
And the cool thing about the history of this word is that it comes from the slang of canal workers in Britain in the late 18th and early 19th century. There’s a nineteen oh four glossary of canal terms that defines Gongoosler as an idle and inquisitive person who stands staring for prolonged periods at anything out of the common.
Oh, that’s amazing. I love that. It’s such a specific term.
But it reminds me so much, what’s the Italian term for the old men staring at construction sites?
Yeah, I thought you might mention that umorelli.
Umorelli, yeah, absolutely. Just uh kind of foaming at the mouth over this cool thing that’s happening and it’s just speaking directly to their souls.
Right, right. These older guys who just go around and watch construction workers and comment and it’s it’s very endearing I think.
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