goose skin

1 4.1

Small raised bumps on the skin when you are cold or scared

noun
/ɡus skɪn/

: piel de gallina

As the emotional speech progressed, many audience members felt goose skin.

Examples

The sudden fright gave him goose skin, making his hair stand on end.
When she stepped into the cold water, she felt goose skin all over her arms.
I get goose skin.

Speed Zone (1989)

Synonyms

goosebump

vsgoose skin

38 3.9

A small raised spot on the skin when someone feels cold, scared, or excited

mentions the same visible roughness rather than detailing the tiny muscle action

goose bump

vsgoose skin

3 3.0

A small raised spot on your skin when you feel cold, scared, or excited

describes the same skin reaction but stresses temporary roughness not cause

goose pimple

vsgoose skin

2 3.7

A small raised bump on the skin that appears when you feel cold, afraid, or have strong feelings

emphasizes the temporary skin texture rather than the biological contracting cause

gooseflesh

vsgoose skin

1 7.8

Small bumps on your skin when you feel cold, afraid, or excited

focuses on visible roughness rather than naming the internal muscle mechanism

goosebumps

vsgoose skin

3.1

Small raised bumps on the skin that appear when you feel cold, afraid, or excited

is the same reaction but described as temporary roughness of skin

horripilation

vsgoose skin

Archaic

9.9

Small bumps appear on the skin when hairs stand up from cold or fear

describes the same effect as temporary roughness with raised skin areas

Surface Forms

goose skin singular

goose skins plural

Morphology

goose + skin

The phrase uses a metaphorical comparison: 'skin' signals a bodily surface but 'goose' does not literally mean the animal's skin. The meaning (small raised bumps caused by cold or fear) is motivated by an animal-skin image and similar metaphors exist in many languages, so learners may guess the general sense but cannot fully derive the exact meaning from the parts alone.

Etymology

Goose skin comes from the way a plucked goose's skin looks, with many small raised bumps. People used that image for the small bumps that appear on your skin when you feel 'cold' or 'fear', so goose skin now means those temporary raised bumps.