Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1868-1890
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GOO, v.2, n.3 Also †gou, gow. [gu:]
I. v. 1. Of an infant: to coo (Sc. 1808 Jam.; ne. and em.Sc., Rxb. 1954). Also reduplicative goo-goo (Slg.3, Edb.1 1954).Abd. 1868 W. Shelley Wayside Flowers 65:
She hings roun' his neck, and goo-goos in his face, And fain wad she coax him to stay.Sc. 1874 W. Allan Hame-spun Lilts 441:
Twa lips like Cupid's bow, That lauch an' goo, but canna speak.Sc. 1890 Whistle-Binkie II. 107:
Bendin' noo, to grip her feet, Gooin' wi' delight. . . Is oor wee, wee wean.
2. To retch, make the sound of retching.Ayr. 1880 W. Aitken Rhymes & Readings 12:
For the door he then made, wildly gapin' and gooin', And the soun's that we heard was like somebody spewin'.Ags. 1890 Mod. Sc. Poets XIII. 262:
Wi' the constant cuckoo sang My very heart was like to goo.
II. n. ‡1. A cooing sound (Sc. 1818 Sawers, gou). Phr.¶to play goo, to coo.Rnf. 1870 J. Nicholson Idylls 19:
An' they canna play "goo!" wi' their wee rosy mou'. Hum! a doll wi' a wean to compare!
2. The sound of retching, nausea; fig. distaste, disgust, in phrs. to get (tak) a (the) goo (Dmf. 1954); also in extended usage: "to run off without paying one's debts, to make what is called a moonlight flitting" (Ags. 1808 Jam., tak the gow). Cf. also Gull.
[Imit. in origin, like Eng. coo.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Goo v.2, n.3". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 18 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/goo_v2_n3>
