The Collaborative International Dictionary
Cock \Cock\ (k[o^]k), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cocked (k[o^]kt); p. pr. & vb. n. Cocking.] [Cf. Gael. coc to cock.]
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To set erect; to turn up.
Our Lightfoot barks, and cocks his ears.
--Gay.Dick would cock his nose in scorn.
--Swift. To shape, as a hat, by turning up the brim.
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To set on one side in a pert or jaunty manner.
They cocked their hats in each other's faces.
--Macaulay. -
To turn (the eye) obliquely and partially close its lid, as an expression of derision or insinuation. Cocked hat.
A hat with large, stiff flaps turned up to a peaked crown, thus making its form triangular; -- called also three-cornered hat.
A game similar to ninepins, except that only three pins are used, which are set up at the angles of a triangle.
Cocking \Cock"ing\, n.
Cockfighting.
--Ben Jonson.
Wiktionary
(context vulgar English) offensive or worthless n. 1 (context archaic English) The hunting of gamecocks. 2 (context obsolete English) cockfighting. v
(present participle of cock English)
Wikipedia
Cocking may refer to:
- Cocking, The sport of cockfighting
- Robert Cocking (1776–1837), English inventor
- Samuel Cocking (1842–1914), British trader
- Cocking, West Sussex, village and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England
- Cocking-cloth, device for catching pheasants
- Cocking handle, firearm device
- Cocking affair, controversy in Georgia, USA in 1941
Usage examples of "cocking".
He scraped the rust off the cocking bolt, sniffed the muzzle, and peered at the breechblock, then stuck in a finger and explored the interior.
Yorke pressed the muzzle into the neck and pulled back the doghead, cocking the gun .
Daniel said again, cocking his head, and Katya knew these would be his last words before shooting.
I saw Catti the Welshman yesterday on the Burford road, and old John Naps was at the Rood Fair on Barton Heath, and there is word of Pennyfarthing in the Cocking dingle.
A few snowflakes began to fall as he stopped about fifty yards from the house, cocking his ear to listen and scanning the dark woods in the direction of the driveway for any sign that Potemkin and his triggermen had shown up.
Ever-curious, cocking its head to look at things, it often befriends fisherfolk, drovers watering their beasts, and bargemasters, and will flit in to visit, day after day, ere swooping away in pursuit of the insects that dance above the Silverflow.
He snatches the Wig completely off and bows his head, cocking one eye at Dixon.
Pacheco halted, cocking his head, belaboring Herbie with a crusty, almost evil eye.
Amarante removed his huge Peacemaker from its scabbard, and, holding it in both hands after laboriously cocking the hammer, he aimed for almost a minute at the blackbird, then pulled the trigger.
Douce said, cocking her bronze head three quarters, ruffling her nosewings.
He paused, cocking his head and staring absently at the cloud-strewn sky.
She pulled up, head high, two streams of breath blowing from her nose before she stepped lightly forward, cocking her head at him.
Singing Wolf added in mock awe before cocking his head and sucking his lips.
He got rid of the parachute, invisible now in the dark, flattened himself against the ground, and worked the cocking lever of the Schmeisser, taut as an animal at bay.
Mallory, cocking the Brownings on the bonnet and flicking off the safety catches.