Dictionary

gottle o' geer en · X

Etymology

Pronunciation spelling of the phrase "bottle of beer" with the labial consonants replaced by velars; labials are the hardest English consonants to produce without visible lip movement.

Meanings

1. Stereotypical phrase spoken by the dummy of an incompetent ventriloquist
   • ‘And a gottle of gear,' said Watson, trying to disguise himself as a dummy. 1992, Spike Milligan, William McGonagall: Freefall, Michael Joseph, →ISBN, page 109:
   • Buyer beware: if you think this is a history of end-of-pier gottle of geer merchants, think again 2001 January 13, Brian Boyd, “Not only here for the geer [Review of Dumbstruck - A Cultural History of Ventriloquism]”, in The Irish Times, page 15:
   • On the same bill was a ventriloquist called Arthur Worsley, who had a doll with the catchphrase 'gottle of geer'. 2016, Pat Stewart, The Girl in the Spotty Dress - Memories From The 1950s and The Photo That Changed My Life, Kings Road Publishing, →ISBN:

Forms