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We call them goosebumps now, but they used to be called gooseflesh or goose-flesh or goose flesh.
The reason is pretty icky: that's what a dead goose looks like after his feathers have been pulled out prior to cooking.
Looking at a dead chicken from the grocery store can give you the general idea, but goose feathers are larger, so the bumps where they have been pulled out are larger too.
The alternate name for goose-bumps is goose-flesh. The Germans use an almost identical term Gaensehaut (gooseskin) and the Italians say pelle d'oca( goose-skin). All of these draw from the appearance of a goodse when it has been plucked. This is a European visual thing. Other cultures, such as the Indonesians, do not see the bumps as anything to do with geese.
In Hawaii we call it "Chicken Skin" which is a direct translation of Japanese "Tori Hada" meaning Goose bumps (chicken-like skin).
They are called goose bumps because the hairs sticking out of the little bumps represent goose flesh after they've been plucked.
In Dutch they are called 'kippevel' meaning chickenskin :)
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You're reading Why do we call goose-bumps,goose-bumps?
Comments
Thanks,I didn't know that...I have dead goose flesh.lol
by janacide on March 31st, 2007