gubbe
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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Etymology
Unknown, but some believe it to be a shortening of the word godbonde (“good farmer, husband”), also thought to be borrowed directly from Swedish gubbe. Probably akin to the Nynorsk verb guve (“to stand crouching”), which is from Old Norse gaupn (“something bent”).
Noun
gubbe m (definite singular gubben, indefinite plural gubber, definite plural gubbene)
- An old man, geezer, husband, man of the house (lovingly or derogatory)
- En hvithåret gubbe gikk forbi.
- A white-haired old man walked by.
- Jeg skal spørre gubben.
- I'll ask the man of the house.
- Hva er det den gamle gubben vil nå, da?
- What does the old geezer want now?
- A stick of dynamite
- Noen kasta gubber mot butikken min!
- Someone threw dynamite sticks at my store!
- (colloquial, definite) father, old man
- Er gubben hjemme?
- Is the old man (your father) home?
Synonyms
References
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Etymology
Noun
gubbe m (definite singular gubben, indefinite plural gubbar, definite plural gubbane)
- An old man, geezer, husband, man of the house (lovingly or derogatory)
- Ein kvithåra gubbe gjekk forbi.
- A white-haired old man walked by.
- Eg skal spørja gubben
- I'll ask the man of the house.
- Kva er det den gamle gubben vil no, då?
- What does the old geezer want now?
- A stick of dynamite
- Nokon kasta gubbar mot butikken min!
- Someone threw dynamite sticks at my store!
Synonyms
Derived terms
References
- “gubbe” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
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Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronunciation
Noun
gubbe c
- (informal, sometimes derogatory) an older or elderly man
- Gå rakt fram, mot gubbarna där borta
- Go straight ahead, towards those old men over there
- gubbar och gummor
- old men and women
- (informal) one's husband
- Jag gick till teatern med min gubbe
- I went to the theater with my husband
- (informal, by extension, often endearing) a young boy; a little man, a little guy
- lilla gubben
- little man
- (informal) a (male) character (especially in a game or artwork), a guy (referred to generically)
- Hur många gubbar ska jag anfalla med?
- How many guys/units should I attack with?
- ett plattformsspel med en gubbe som hoppar
- a platformer with a guy that jumps
- samla på Warhammer-gubbar
- collect Warhammer miniatures
- Hon gillade att rita konstiga gubbar
- She liked to draw strange characters
- (colloquial) a cheeky attempt
- Nej du! Den gubben går inte!
- Nope! Not falling for that one!
- (dialectal) a small lump
- (slang) one gram (of an illegal drug)
- 2021, Diamant Salihu, Tills alla dör [Until everyone dies], Mondial, →ISBN, page 79:
- Fem »gubbar« på 0,8 gram styck kunde lätt gömmas i fickan. Han sålde en »gubbe« kokain för mellan 800 och 1 000 kronor.
- Five 0.8 gram pieces could easily be hidden in one's pocket. He sold one "gram" of cocaine for between 800 and 1 000 kronor.
Usage notes
- Sometimes used ironically to refer to friends, regardless of age, especially in the plural (similar to old chap in English).
- The collocation "gammal gubbe" is common towards the elderly end of the scale (or when emphasizing age, in a sometimes derogatory sense).
- Another (jocular) colloquial plural is gubbs.
Declension
| nominative | genitive | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| singular | indefinite | gubbe | gubbes |
| definite | gubben | gubbens | |
| plural | indefinite | gubbar | gubbars |
| definite | gubbarna | gubbarnas |
Derived terms
- dynamitgubbe (“stick of dynamite”)
- farsgubbe (“dad, old man”)
- flyttgubbe (“mover”)
- ful gubbe (“dirty old man”)
- fullgubbe
- gubbaktig
- gubben i lådan (“jack-in-the-box”)
- gubben i månen (“the man in the moon”)
- gubbig
- gubbjävel
- gubbkeps (“flat cap”)
- gubbröra
- gubbsjuk
- gubbslem
- gubbsnygg (“old man handsome”)
- gubbstrutt
- gubbtjyv
- hänga gubbe (“hangman (game)”)
- halmgubbe (“straw man”)
- jordgubbe (“strawberry”)
- korvgubbe
- krutgubbe
- lyktgubbe
- sjutton gubbar
- snuskgubbe
- snögubbe (“snowman”)
- sopgubbe (“garbage man”)
- sömngubbe (“sleep (in the corner of the eye)”)
- tomtegubbe
Descendants
- → Finnish: gube
See also
References
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