The bumpy texture of skin caused by cold, fear, or emotional response; commonly called 'goosebumps' or 'goose pimples.'
Compound of 'goose' and 'skin,' based on the resemblance of the raised bumps to the texture of plucked goose skin. This folk etymology metaphor has been used in English since at least the 1600s.
Different languages all noticed this phenomenon independently—Germans call it 'Gänsehaut' (goose skin) and Dutch speakers say 'kippenvel' (chicken skin), proving that humans everywhere see the same texture correspondence in poultry!
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