green goosen.

1416–17 in C. M. Woolgar Househ. Accts. Medieval Eng. (1992) II. 509 [Et solutum pro] grenegeys [emptis ad Pascham iii s. vi d.]

1474 in C. L. Kingsford Stonor Lett. & Papers (1919) I. 144 (MED) Item, wyne for grene geese.

1506 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1901) III. 399 To the woman that brocht grene geys to the King.

1584 T. Cogan Hauen of Health clxvi. 136 The greene goose is better than the stubble goose.

1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost i. i. 97 The Spring is neare when greene geese are a breeding. View more context for this quotation

1620 T. Venner Via Recta iii. 66 Young Geese, which are commonly called greene-Geese.

1688–92 (title) The St. Giles's broker. Shewing how he was cheated in buying a green goose.

1736 Compl. Family-piece iii. 441 Stubble Geese or Green Geese should be kept in the dark, and fatted with Ground Malt mixt with Milk.

1789 Fortescue 84 A gander, of the ordinary size of a green goose, had it hissed at thee on a common, would have made thee run for it.

1821 J. Hodgson in J. Raine Mem. J. Hodgson (1857) I. xv. 342 On Sunday we dined with my aunt, and had a green goose, four months old, to dinner.

1877 E. Peacock Gloss. Words Manley & Corringham, Lincs. Green goose, a goose killed at midsummer time. A goose under four months old.

1893 R. L. Stevenson Catriona xix. 204 His ain dear Annie and her two sisters had to taigle home by theirselves like a string of green geese!

1900 A. M. Benson in Civil War Papers (Commandery State Mass.) 127 We wanted some green goose, and as we were armed with hickory sticks Correll thought we could kill a goose without making any noise.

1960 Times 12 Dec. 15/5 A gosling or green goose is a bird less than four months old.

2008 Evening Standard (Nexis) 8 Oct. 39 The traditional Christmas goose is delicious but a green goose has slightly less fat and remarkably tender meat.

1768 T. Gray Let. 25 Feb. in Corr. (1971) III. 1020 The true title of this part of his work [sc. Boswell's Corsica] is, A Dialogue between a Green-goose and a Hero.

1844 Tait's Edinb. Mag. Feb. 106/2 Unless you wished the two green geese to fall in love with each other, what on earth could induce you to allow your Mr. Everhard Aylmer to attend the singing lessons of a girl with so beautiful a voice as Emma!

1877 E. Dowden Shakspere (Macmillan Lit. Primers) vi. 130 Here Troilus, the noble green-goose, goes through his youthful agony of ascertaining the unworthiness of her to whom he had given his faith and hope.

1905 A. Castle & E. Castle Heart of Lady Anne vi. 88 You poor innocent! You little dear green-goose! Why, you've no more notion how to deal with a man than a kitten has of cards.