/ ˈgəʊfə(r); NAmE ˈgoʊ-/ noun
1.
(also ˈground squirrel ) a N American animal like a rat , that lives in holes in the ground
2.
= gofer
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WORD ORIGIN
late 18th cent.: perhaps from Canadian French gaufre honeycomb (because the gopher “honeycombs” the ground with its burrows).