GOBEMOUCHE

[Dr. Goodword]

• gobemouche •

Pronunciation: go-bê-mush • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: A highly credulous naif, a very gullible person who believes everything he or she hears no matter how absurd.

Notes: Admittedly, today's Good Word is not a common, ordinary word that you hear around the house every day; however, it is interesting for its etymology (for which see Word History) and the decoration it adds to a conversation. As a result of its lack of use, it has remained a lexical orphan without producing any related words.

In Play: In the US, the metaphors for gullibility are buying swampland in Florida, desert land in Arizona and, if you want to go back to the 50s, the Brooklyn Bridge: "If you are such a gobemouche as to believe that I am a rocket scientist, you might be interested in buying my share of the Brooklyn Bridge." Wherever you find gullibility, gobemouches will be responsible: "What kind of gobemouche would think that we can tow icebergs from the Arctic Circle to the Sahara Desert for irrigation?"

Word History: Today's word is a French compound noun based on gober "to swallow" + mouche "fly", literally, a fly-swallower. The image here is someone whose jaw drops upon hearing a fantastic story—too good to be true. Gober is suspected of being borrowed from Celtic, though no one knows for sure; it was later borrowed back into English in a word we will hear more of this month: gobble. Mouche is the remnant of Latin musca "fly", which shares its origins with Russian mukha "fly". (Well, there are no flies on Jeremy Busch when he collects Good Words like the one he shared with us today.)

[Perry]

I don't want flies on me or in me.

[Bailey]

Perry, there are NO flies on you.

mark aknowledges-superiority Bailey

[Perry]

Thanks!

[skinem]

I once was told I was gullible and I believed 'em!