Past tense of 'gudgeon,' meaning to trick or deceive someone gullible, or to use someone as a gudgeon (pivot pin) in a mechanical sense.
From 'gudgeon' used as a verb, playing on the meaning of a gullible person. The verbal form emerged from the slang sense, allowing the concept of foolishness to become an action.
When a word for a 'gullible person' becomes a verb—'gudgeoned'—it means you've done something to someone. It's like how we say someone was 'bamboozled' or 'conned,' but gudgeoned is much more obscure and delightfully specific.
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