There are lots of knowledgeable peeps here, so someone tell me: Why does the plural of goose (and louse) depend on whether or not its used as a verb or a noun?
And don't give me any of that crap about English being a strange and wonderful language. I know that. Just tell me why.
"Goose" and "louse" used as verbs are both slang terms, and the rules are out the window there.
As the bunny said, though, "Gooses" is not a plural verb. If I say "He gooses his wife" that is still singular, but the "s" is added becvause it is third person singular, as is done with almost all verbs in the English language. If I am speaking or writing in the plural and say: "We goose our wives" there is no "s" at the end.
Same with louse. "He louses up everything" as opposed to: "Too many cooks louse up the food."
I believe "gooses" as a slang noun is also correct. "I gave gooses to both my sisters" not "I gave geese to both my sisters" unless we are talking about gifts of migrating water fowl.
A louse, besides being a parasite, is sometimes used in reference to a nasty person, usually a man. The only time I have ever heard the plural used in the latter case is in the movie, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" when MM sings "After those louses go back to their spouses, diamonds are a girl's best friend."
*raises hand*
Excuse me Mr. Language Person.
If the plural of 'ram' is 'rams' and the plural of 'ass' is 'asses', then why is a ram in the ass called a goose?
