The word "gob" can be spelled with only three letters, but its pronunciation can vary between different dialects and accents. The IPA phonetic transcription for "gob" is /ɡɒb/ or /ɡɑb/, depending on the accent. The 'o' sound in "gob" can be pronounced as a short 'o' sound or a broad 'a' sound. In American English, the 'o' sound is typically pronounced as a short 'o', while in British English, it is often pronounced as a broad 'a' sound. Regardless of the pronunciation, "gob" remains a useful word to describe a lump of something, or someone's mouth.
Gob is a noun that has several meanings depending on the context. Here is a broad, 200-word dictionary definition of "gob":
1. In slang, gob refers to the mouth or throat. It is commonly used to imply the act of eating or swallowing something. For example, "She shoved the cake into her gob."
2. Another sense of gob is a large or protruding lump or quantity of something, often in a messy or untidy manner. For instance, "He splattered a gob of paint on the canvas." This definition can also refer to a large quantity or amount of something, such as "gobs of money" or "gobs of data."
3. Gob also has a specific meaning in mining. In this context, it refers to a mass or block of waste material, like coal, left behind after extraction. Miners use the term to describe the waste rock or debris that must be removed to extract the valuable minerals.
4. In British English slang, gob can be used to describe someone's mouth or their speech. It is often used to refer to someone who talks excessively or boastfully. For example, "He's always running off at the gob."
5. Lastly, gob is also used informally to refer to a sailor or seaman. This usage is more common in British English and derived from naval slang.
In summary, gob is a versatile term that can refer to the mouth, a lump or messy quantity of something, mining waste, excessive speech, or a sailor. The intended meaning of gob can vary depending on the specific context in which it is used.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "gob" has several different meanings, each with its own etymology. Here are the etymologies for two of the most common uses of the word:
1. Gob (Noun): A slang term for mouth or oral cavity.
The noun "gob" meaning mouth or oral cavity is believed to have originated from the Irish or Scots Gaelic word "gob" which has the same meaning. It entered the English language during the late 18th or early 19th century as a slang term commonly used in British and Irish dialects.
2. Gob (Noun): A glob or lump of something, such as spit or phlegm.
The noun "gob" meaning a glob or lump of something, particularly spit or phlegm, has a separate etymology.