1843-4. Haliburton, Sam Slick in England, ch. xviii. If a bear comes after you, Sam, you must be up and doin', or it's a gone goose with you.
1848. Ruxton, Life in the Far West, p. 40. From that moment he was gone beaver; he felt queer, he said, all over.
1857. Notes and Queries, 2 S. iii., 519. To call a person a gone corbie, is only to say in other words, it's all up with him.
1862. Clough, Poems. He had been into the schools; plucked almost; all but a gone-coon.
1863. C. Reade, Hard Cash, I., 178. I shall meet her again next week; will you come? Any friend of mine is welcome. Wish me joy, old fellow; I'm a gone coon.
Gone on, adv. phr. (colloquial).—Enamoured of; infatuated with; mashed on (q.v.); sweet on (q.v.). Generally in contempt. Fr., aimer comme ses petits boyaux. For synonyms, see Sweet on.
1887. John Strange Winter, That Imp, p. 44. He was a fine fellow, and no mistake. And was gone on Lady Lorrimor!
1890. Illustrated Bits, 29 Mar. p. 10, c. 3. He must have been terribly gone on this woman.
1891. N. Gould, Double Event, p. 113. 'Poor chap, he's very far gone,' thought Jack.
1892. Milliken, 'Arry Ballads, p. 31. I'll eat my old boots if she isn't dead gone on.
Goner, (or Gones, Gonus, or
Goney), subs. (American).—1. A
fool; a simpleton. Also Gauney
(q.v.). For synonyms, see Buffle
or Cabbage-head.
1857. Punch, 31 Jan. But the lark's when a goney up with us they shut, As ain't up to our lurks, our flash patter, and smut.
1860. Haliburton, Sam Slick, 'The Season Ticket,' No. X. 'It's only grief, Nabby dear, my heart is broke.' 'Is that all, you goney?' says she, 'it's lucky your precious neck ain't broke.'
a. 1871. The Dartmouth, vol. iv. One day I heard a Senior call a fellow a gonus. 'Gonus,' echoed I, 'what does that mean?' Oh,' said he, 'you're a Freshman, and don't understand. A stupid fellow, a dolt, a boot-jack, an ignoramus, is here called a gonus. All Freshmen,' he continued gravely, 'are gonuses.'
2. (colloquial).—A person past recovery, utterly ruined, or done for in any way.
1876. S. L. Clemens (Mark Twain), Tom Sawyer, p. 99. 'Yes, but she ain't dead; and, what's more, she's getting better too.' 'All right, you wait and see. She's a goner, just as dead sure as Muff Potter's a goner.'
1888. Cincinnati Enquirer. Fortunately, she did not see me, or else I should have been a goner.
1891. N. Gould. Double Event, p. 261. 'Make a noise or follow me, and you're a goner,' said Smirk.
1892. Hume Nisbet, Bushranger's Sweetheart, p. 212. A few more of her meddlings and she's a goner, that's what she is.
Gong (or Gong-house), subs.
(old).—A privy. For synonyms,
see Mrs. Jones.
1383. Chaucer, Canterbury Tales. 'The Parsons Tale' [Riverside Ed. (1880)], ii., 241. Thise fool wommen, that mowe be likned to a commune gong, whereas men purgen hire ordure.
Gong-farmer (or Gong-man),
subs. (old).—An emptier of cess-*pools;
a gold-finder (q.v.).
1598. Florio, A Worlde of Wordes. Curadestri, a iakes, goong, or doong farmer.
Gonof (or Gonnof or Gonoph or
Gnof), subs. (thieves').- 1. A
thief; specifically a pick-pocket,
and especially an adept. [From
the Hebrew. Ancient English;
a legacy from the old time Jews.
It came into use again with the
moderns who employ it commonly.
Cf., gonov = thief in Ex. xxii, 2 and
6, viz., 'if the gonov be found.']
See Thieves.
1857. Dickens, On Duty with Inspector Field, in 'Reprinted Pieces' p. 256. If the smallest gonoph about town were crouching at the bottom of a classic bath Inspector Field would nose him.
