Ever stood and watched boats work a lock? There's a job for you

A gongoozler stands beside a canal and watches boats work through locks — and it's a term with genuine British charm. Boing Boing reports the word may have begun as canal workers' slang for someone loitering on the towpath, while The Times has described it more colorfully: someone who hung around bridges to watch — or laugh at — the less experienced barge operators as they struggled through locks. It's a wonderfully specific name for a wonderfully specific pastime.

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