MacFarlane's Geese
Preserved but no longer current.
The proverb is that "MacFarlane's geese like their play better than their meat." The wild geese of Inch-Tavoe (Loch Lomond) used to be called MacFar- lantfs Geese because the MacFarlanes had a house on the island, and it is said that the geese never returned after the destruction of that house.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “MacFarlane's Geese” mean?
The proverb is that "MacFarlane's geese like their play better than their meat." The wild geese of Inch-Tavoe (Loch Lomond) used to be called MacFar- lantfs Geese because the MacFarlanes had a house on the island, and it is said that the geese never returned after the destruction of that house.
Is “MacFarlane's Geese” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.