different between handsome vs grouse

English

Etymology

From Middle English handsum, hondsom, equivalent to hand +? -some. Compare Dutch handzaam, German Low German handsaam. The original sense was ‘easy to handle or use’, hence ‘suitable’ and ‘apt, clever’ (mid 16th century), giving rise to the current appreciatory senses (late 16th century).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?hæn.s?m/ or occasionally /?hænd.s?m/~/?hænt.s?m/
• Hyphenation: hand?some
• Homophone: Hansom

Adjective

handsome (comparative more handsome or handsomer, superlative most handsome or handsomest)

1. (of people, things, etc) Having a good appearance; good-looking.
   • 1916, On H.R. 4683, site for post-office building at Chicago, Ill, page 117:

     On the opposite side of the street, on the corner, is the city hall, a very handsome building of brick and stone.

   • 2006, Richard Leviton, The Gods in Their Cities, iUniverse (?ISBN), page 44:

     Often, human mortals describe their visits to the Tuatha's [places] in similar terms: they were great bright places, occupied by exceedingly handsome men and women, that sported wonderful crystal chairs, inexhaustible supplies of mead or ale ...

   1. (of a man or boy) Visually attractive; pleasant looking, good-looking.

   2. (of a woman) beautiful, or (especially in later usage) striking, impressive and elegantly proportioned.
      • 1662, Samuel Pepys, diary

        I saw, I confess, some good dancing and some handsome women, which was all my pleasure.
2. Good, appealing, appropriate.
   1. (of weather) Fine, clear and bright.
      • 1808, John Pinkerton, A General Collection of the Best and Most Interesting Voyages and Travels in All Parts of the World, page 513:

        Sunday, the sixth, we heaved up our sheet-anchor again, the day beginning with little wind, and continued handsome weather till eight at night, when the wind came to S. S. W. and it fell a snowing.

      • 1911, Farm Chemicals, page 60:

        The story goes that James Whitcomb Riley, the poet, on a beautiful spring day, in making his way from his home to his office, was accosted by numerous friends on the way who were exclaiming most extravagantly on the beauty of the day. It was "Good morning, Mr. Riley, a fine day;" "Good morning, Mr. Riley, […] a handsome day;" […] .

   2. Suitable or fit in action; marked with propriety and ease; appropriate.
      • 1815, Jane Austen, Emma, Volume I, Chapter 2

        For a few days, every morning visit in Highbury included some mention of the handsome letter Mrs. Weston had received. “I suppose you have heard of the handsome letter Mr. Frank Churchill has written to Mrs. Weston? I understand it was a very handsome letter, indeed. Mr. Woodhouse told me of it. Mr. Woodhouse saw the letter, and he says he never saw such a handsome letter in his life.”

3. Generous or noble in character.
   • 1859, George Meredith, The Ordeal of Richard Feverel, Chapter 11:

     I'm a plain man, Mr. Feverel. Above board with me, and you'll find me handsome.

4. Ample; moderately large.

   Synonyms: hefty, substantial
5. (obsolete, said of things and people) Dexterous; skillful.

Usage notes

The sense of good looking was originally equally applicable to both sexes, but is now used mostly of men. In current usage, when applied to a woman it may connote a non-traditional or masculine form of beauty, as opposed to more neutral alternatives such as beautiful or attractive.

Derived terms

• do the handsome thing

Translations

Verb

handsome (third-person singular simple present handsomes, present participle handsoming, simple past and past participle handsomed)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To render handsome.

References

Anagrams

• mashed on

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /??a?s/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /?ræ?s/
• (General New Zealand) IPA^(key): /?ræus/
• Rhymes: -a?s

Etymology 1

The origin of the noun is unknown; the following derivations have been suggested:

• From Old French grue (“crane”) (modern French grue) or Medieval Latin gruta (“crane”), both from Latin gr?s (“crane”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gerh?- (“to cry hoarsely; a crane”).
• Borrowed from Celtic or a different Medieval Latin word.
• Imitative of the bird’s call.

The verb is derived from the noun.

Noun

grouse (countable and uncountable, plural grouse or grouses)

1. (countable) Any of various game birds of the subfamily Tetraoninae which inhabit temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere; specifically, the red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scotica) native to heather moorland on the British Isles. [from 1530s]

   (red grouse): Synonyms: moorbird, moorcock, moorfowl
2. (uncountable) The flesh or meat of this bird eaten as food.

Derived terms

• grouselike

Translations

Verb

grouse (third-person singular simple present grouses, present participle grousing, simple past and past participle groused)

1. (intransitive) To hunt or shoot grouse.

Translations

Etymology 2

The origin of the verb is uncertain; it is possibly borrowed from Norman groucier, from Old French groucier, grousser (“to grumble, murmur”) [and other forms] (whence grutch (“to complain; to murmur”) and grouch). The further etymology is unknown, but it may be onomatopoeic.

The noun is derived from the verb.

Verb

grouse (third-person singular simple present grouses, present participle grousing, simple past and past participle groused)

1. (intransitive, originally military slang, informal) To complain or grumble. [from late 19th c.]
   • 1890, Kipling, The Young British Soldier

     If you're cast for fatigue by a sergeant unkind,

     Don't grouse like a woman, nor crack on, nor blind;

     Be handy and civil, and then you will find

     That it's beer for the young British soldier.

Derived terms

• grouser
• grousing (noun)

Translations

Noun

grouse (plural grouses)

1. A cause for complaint; a grumble. [from early 20th c.]

Translations

Etymology 3

Origin uncertain; possibly from British dialectal groosh (“excellent, very good”) (Lothian (Scotland)), grosh (northeast Lancashire) and groshy (“having thriving vegetation; juicy and tender; of weather: good for vegetation, rainy”) (Lancashire, Yorkshire), grushie (“having thriving vegetation”) (Scotland); from Scots groosh (“excellent, very good”) (Lothian, obsolete), grush (obsolete), grushie, grushy (“growing healthily or lushly; excellent, very good”) (both archaic), from gross (“lacking refinement, coarse; fat; large”) + -ie (suffix meaning ‘rather, somewhat’).

Adjective

grouse (comparative grouser, superlative grousest)

1. (Australia, New Zealand, slang) Excellent. [from 1920s]

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:excellent

   Antonyms: see Thesaurus:bad

   • 1991, Tim Winton, Cloudstreet, Scribner Paperback Fiction 2002, page 182,

     They were the grousest ladies she?d ever met.

Translations

References

Further reading

• grouse on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• -gerous, Rogues, orgues, rogues, rouges, rugose