Word
guernsey
Phoneticsguernsey
/ˈɡɝnzi/
Definition
n. a thick, warm wool sweater that was originally made for sailors. In Australian English, it can also mean a sports jersey or getting a chance to participate in something.
n. a heavy, close-fitting woollen sweater traditionally worn by sailors and fishermen. In Australian contexts, refers to a sports jersey or, idiomatically, to receiving recognition or a selection for a task.
Examples
“He wore a thick guernsey to stay warm on the boat.”
“After months of hard work on the sidelines, the young player finally got a guernsey in the starting lineup.”
“The traditional guernsey is knitted in one piece with a high neck and ribbed cuffs, designed to provide maximum protection against the harsh maritime elements.”
Examples
simple
“He wore a thick guernsey to stay warm on the boat.”
contextual
“After months of hard work on the sidelines, the young player finally got a guernsey in the starting lineup.”
complex
“The traditional guernsey is knitted in one piece with a high neck and ribbed cuffs, designed to provide maximum protection against the harsh maritime elements.”
Usage
When referring to the garment, it is a countable noun; the idiomatic Australian expression 'to get a guernsey' means to be selected.
Real-World Examples
“Some 27% of 16 to 24-year-olds said they were worried about housing, the rising cost of living, travel costs and the opportunities Guernsey offered them after their studies finished.” Etymology
From Anglo-Norman, from Old Norse, compound of Grani (“Grani's”) and ey (“island”). Folk etymology points to a dialectal root for green.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/guernsey