I. ˈgau̇j, Brit sometimes ˈgüj noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English goodg, gowge, from Middle French gouge, from Late Latin gubia, gulbia hollow chisel, of Celtic origin; akin to Old Irish gulban sting, Middle Welsh gwlf notch, gylf beak, and probably to Gaulish galba fat man — more at calf
1.
a. : a chisel with a concavo-convex cross section used in its various forms especially for scooping or cutting holes, channels, or grooves (as in wood or stone), for doing the roughing cuts in wood turning, or for removing portions of bone in surgery
b. : an incising tool that cuts forms or blanks (as for gloves or envelopes) from leather, paper, or other material
c. : a bookbinder's blind-tooling or gilding tool having a face that forms a curve ; also : the impression made by it
2.
[ gouge (II) ]
a. : the act of gouging with or as if with a gouge
b. : a groove or cavity scooped out (as with a gouge)
3. : an excessive or improper exaction : extortion , swindle , overcharge
the only protection we have against a rubber-price gouge — Newsweek
also : the amount extorted or overcharged
the yearly gouge is closer to $200,000,000 — Lester David
4. : soft clayey material often present between a vein and a wall or along a fault — called also selvage
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
1. : to cut grooves, channels, or holes in with or as if with a gouge : scoop out with or as if with a gouge
2.
a. : to force out (an opponent's eye) with the thumb
b. : to thrust the thumb or finger into (an opponent's eye) : thrust the thumb or finger into the eye of
gouged one of his eyes so thoroughly that it bulged — John Lardner
kick and gouge him into insensibility — Time
3. : to subject to extortion or undue exaction : overcharge , swindle , exploit
protect … the public against being gouged by ticket scalpers — M.R.Cohen
unions and employers get together to gouge the consumer — C.R.Daugherty
gouged for thousands … of dollars — Newsweek
intransitive verb
1. : to cut grooves, channels, or holes with or as if with a gouge
such moving ice … scrapes, plucks, gouges, and scours — G.T.Renner & C.L.White
: pierce , bore
his eyes gouging into mine — R.P.Warren
2. : to thrust the thumb or finger into the eye of an opponent
still kicked and punched and gouged — Edwin Corle
3. : to practice extortion : overcharge
doctors who were … gouging on patients — Milton Silverman
began gouging on the price — Wenzell Brown