E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Strasburg Goose (A).
A goose fattened, crammed, and confined in order to enlarge its liver. Metaphorically, one crammed with instruction and kept from healthy exercise in order to pass examinations.
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“The anæmic, myopic, worn-out creature who comes to [the army]—a new kind of Strasburg goose.”—Nineteenth Century, January, 1893, p. 26.
