I Greedy Gannet Gan It Noun Large Seabird Catching

gannet /GAN-it/

noun

1. A large seabird known for catching fish by diving from a height.

2. A greedy person.

[From Old English ganot. Ultimately from the Indo-European root ghans- (goose), which also gave us goose, gosling, gander, and gunsel. Earliest documented use: before 1000. Gannets’ reputation for being greedy isn’t deserved though. See here.]

“Michael Buerk -- I am afraid there is no delicate way to put this -- is a gannet. He steals the very food from your plate. I recall one meal when he had polished off his own steak while I was eating rather more delicately. ‘Don’t you want the rest of that?’ he asked. And before I could answer, it was gone." - Broadcaster John Humphrys, The Things They Say...; The Western Morning News (Plymouth, UK); Dec 8, 2014.

“You’re going to have to pace yourself. Nobody likes a gannet, even at a buffet.” - Gareth May; The Ultimate Buffet Etiquette Guide; China Daily (Beijing); July 11, 2015.