plucking her goose
- idiom
- Informal
:
jugarse el pellejo
- She is plucking her goose by spending all her savings on a risky venture.
Examples
-
After betting all her savings on a single horse, it was clear she was plucking her goose.
-
They warned him he was plucking his goose by ignoring professional advice.
-
If you think that scheme will make you rich, you're just plucking your goose.
-
Don't pluck her goose by investing in that failing company!
-
After betting all her savings on a single horse, it was clear she was plucking her goose.
-
If you think that scheme will make you rich, you're just plucking your goose.
-
They warned him he was plucking his goose by ignoring professional advice.
Synonyms
22
5.8
To take a big risk that can cause harm
9
7.3
Take an unnecessary risk that might cause bad luck
1
8.2
To risk everything you have on one choice
Use saved resources now in a way that harms future success
Make someone lose their chance of success
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'pluck' (given as 'to take advantage / fleece') plus the possessive 'her' gives a partial hint that someone or something belonging to her is being harmed or exploited, so a learner might infer some kind of loss. However, 'goose' here is unspecified and the precise sense — risking or causing loss through foolish decisions or investments — is not a straightforward compositional reading of the parts and reads idiomatic. Because there is a traceable connection but the full pragmatic/idiomatic meaning is not predictable, this is best classified as semi-transparent.
Etymology
Plucking her goose comes from a simple farm picture: if you keep plucking a goose for its feathers or money, you will soon have nothing left or even kill the bird. That's why the phrase means 'doing something that will cause your own loss or harm'.