A-Z Database

A-Z Database

All A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Cock-and-bull story

A cock-and-bull story is a far-fetched and unbelievable story, which the townsfolk of Stony Stratford in Buckinghamshire will have one believe derives...

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Cock-sure

Cock-sure means absolutely certain, safe or secure and dates from c. 1520 according to the OED. The origin is uncertain, but the OED hints that it may...

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Cock-up

A blunder, mistake, error dates from the early 20th century yet the use of cock remains obscure. The best explanation is that it is simply a variation...

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Cockamamie/cockamamey

American slang for ridiculous or implausible as in a cockamamie idea is first attested from the 1930s but its origin remains unknown. Etymological att...

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Cocked hat

The complete expression is knock into a cocked hat or, more rarely, throw into a cocked hat, which means to defeat utterly or to win by a wide margin....

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Cockeyed

Originally, from the early 19th century it meant squint-eyed. From the late 19th century the meaning evolved into crooked, skew, inaccurate.


Cockney

The ‘Cockney’ dialect and accent is a style of English that is identified with the city London. YouGov (a prominent British market research company) c...

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Cockney rhyming slang

see Rhyming slang


Cocksucker

Originally, a contemptuous American term for a toady or sycophant dates from the mid-19th century. Later, it evolved into a general term of contempt.


Cocktail

The only thing known about this word, in the sense of an exotic, alcoholic drink, is that it is of American origin from the early 19th century. Despit...

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Cocky

Meaning impudent and arrogant is from the 18th century and derives from the behaviour of the rooster or cock in the henhouse.


Coconut

Disparaging term for a person who is black/coloured on the outside and white on the inside, implying non-adherence to original racial background and c...

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Cod

Cod is British slang for mock or sham, as in cod Latin or cod philosophy and dates from the late 19th century. It supposedly derives from codger meani...

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Codger

Usually in the form of old codger and describes, irreverently or perhaps whimsically, any old and slightly foolish fellow, and dates in this sense fro...

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Codpiece

The flap or bag that covered the crotch area in medieval male fashion as doublets grew shorter. It derives from cod an old English word, now obsolete,...

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