noun
gooseberry
An unwanted third person accompanying a romantic couple.
He felt like a gooseberry beside the affectionate couple.
Etymology
The unwanted companion sense is associated with an older use of gooseberry for a chaperon, recorded in the nineteenth century. Why the fruit name acquired this meaning remains uncertain.
More examples
- She declined the invitation rather than play gooseberry.
- The third guest joked about being a gooseberry.
- I did not want to sit there as a gooseberry all evening.
Forms
gooseberry · gooseberries
Similar words
- third wheel
- Third wheel is the more usual American expression for an unwanted extra person with a couple.
- chaperone
- A chaperone accompanies people in a supervisory role; a gooseberry is simply an awkward extra companion.