rhizoverbBeta
DictionarygallShameless boldness
noun

gall

GAWL/ɡɔːl/

Rude or shameless boldness.

The patron has the gall to take fries from another diner's plate.

A shameless café patron puts her dirty shoes on another diner's table and helps herself to fries from his plate, maintaining a smug smile despite his unmistakable objection.
Etymology
gallOld Englishbile

Old English galla meant bile. Humoral medicine helped give the word an emotional sense, “rancor” or “embittered spirit,” before its later informal use for shameless boldness.

In context

Real Vision Presents0:10
if you're at a dinner party and a stranger has the gall to ask you an impudent question
Derivatives Trader Turned Fine Dining Visionary (w/Jason Buck & Nick Kokonas)

More examples

  • He admired her gall despite himself.
  • She could hardly believe his gall.
  • It took gall to make that demand.

Forms

gall

Similar words

nerve
An informal equivalent for boldness.
audacity
Boldness that may be admired rather than condemned.