Cock

Cock - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

COCK, n.

1. The male of birds, particularly of gallinaceous or domestic fowls, which having no appropriate or distinctive name, are called dunghill fowls or barn-door fowls.

2. A weather-cock; a vane in shape of a cock. [It is usually called a weather-cock.]

3. A spout; an instrument to draw out or discharge liquor from a cask, vat or pipe; so named from its projection.

4. The projecting corner of a hat.

5. A small conical pile of hay, so shaped for shedding rain; called in England a cop. When hay is dry and rolled together for carting, the heaps are not generally called cocks, at least not in New England. A large conical pile is called a stack.

6. The style or gnomon of a dial.

7. The needle of a balance.

8. The piece which covers the balance in a clock or watch.

9. The notch of an arrow.

10. The part of a musket or other fire arm, to which a flint is attached, and which, being impelled by a spring, strikes fire, and opens the pan at the same time.

11. A small boat. It is now called a cock-boat, which is tautology, as cock itself is a bot.

12. A leader; a chief man.

Sir Andrew is the cock of the club.

13. Cock-crowing; the time when cocks crow in the morning.

Cock a hoop, or cock on the hoop, a phrase denoting triumph; triumphant; exulting.

Cock and a bull, a phrase denoting tedious trifling stories.

COCK, v.t.

1. To set erect; to turn up; as, to cock the nose or ears.

2. To set the brim of a hat so as to make sharp corners or points; or to set up with an air of pertness.

3. To make up hay in small conical piles.

4. To set or draw back the cock of a gun, in order to fire.

COCK, v.i.

1. To hold up the head; to strut; to look big, pert, or menacing.

2. To train or use fighting cocks.

3. To cocker.

kok (alektor; Latin gallus): There is no reference in the Old Testament to domesticated poultry, which was probably first introduced into Judea after the Roman conquest. See CHICKEN. The cock is several times mentioned in the New Testament and always with reference to its habit of crowing in eastern countries with such regularity as to be almost clocklike. The first full salute comes almost to the minute at half-past eleven, the second at half-past one, and the third at dawn. So uniformly do the cocks keep time and proclaim these three periods of night that we find cock-crowing mentioned as a regular division of time: "Watch therefore: for ye know not when the lord of the house cometh, whether at even, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or in the morning" (Mr 13:35). Jesus had these same periods of night in mind when he warned Peter that he would betray Him. Mt 26:34; Lu 22:34; Joh 13:38, give almost identical wording of the warning. But in all his writing Mark was more explicit, more given to exact detail. Remembering the divisions of night as the cocks kept them, his record reads: "And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say into thee, that thou today, even this night, before the cock crow twice, shalt deny me thrice" (Mr 14:30). See CHICKEN. It is hardly necessary to add that the cocks crow at irregular intervals as well as at the times indicated, according to the time of the year and the phase of the moon (being more liable to crow during the night if the moon is at the full), or if a storm threatens, or there is any disturbance in their neighborhood.

Gene Stratton-Porter