— gouger , n.
/gowj/ , n. , v. , gouged, gouging .
n.
1. a chisel having a partly cylindrical blade with the bevel on either the concave or the convex side.
2. an act of gouging.
3. a groove or hole made by gouging.
4. an act of extortion; swindle.
5. Geol.
a. a layer of decomposed rocks or minerals found along the walls of a vein.
b. fragments of rock that have accumulated between or along the walls of a fault.
v.t.
6. to scoop out or turn with or as if with a gouge: to gouge a channel; to gouge holes.
7. to dig or force out with or as if with a gouge: to gouge out an eye.
8. to make a gouge in: to gouge one's leg.
9. to extort from, swindle, or overcharge.
v.i.
10. to engage in swindling, overcharging, or the like: I bought my clothes there before they began gouging.
[ 1300-50; ME gu ( l ) bia; cf. OPr goja, Sp gubia; perh. gulba sting, Welsh gylf beak, Cornish gilb borer ]