What is the difference between “rooster” vs. “cock” and “hen” vs . . . @ShreevatsaR What proof do you have to offer of your hypothesis that this bit of general English has of late been reduced to a mere Americanism? I’m pretty sure that the OED’s statement that “cock is the current name among the people” still holds true for native speakers everywhere Yes, you can get some nuance between cock and dick, or regional difference between wiener and willy, but
etymology - The connection between roosters and genitalia - English . . . From the Online Etymology Dictionary: cock "male chicken," Old English cocc "male bird," Old French coc (12c , Modern French coq), Old Norse kokkr, all of echoic origin Old English cocc was a nickname for "one who strutted like a cock," thus a common term in the Middle Ages for a pert boy, used of scullions, apprentices, servants, etc A common personal name till c 1500, it was affixed to
Etymology of the word cheatercock - English Language Usage Stack . . . It's well known that cocks will fight, though it was banned in India in 1960 The earliest example I can find is 1963, in The Valley of Pines The Rainbow of Life: Dillo, the famous 'fightercock', the most bellicose woman of the vicinity, was a few yards away She, too, was coming to fetch water Here's another example in use:
What is the origin and earliest recorded usage of cock-up These are all rather fanciful derivations The word cock has a very broad spread of meaning Per my answer here, the one that matters in cock-up is more related to the usage in a cocked hat, or when an angler cocks his float
cold-cocked by a cocked hat - English Language Usage Stack Exchange China Index hot and cold Cocks, Nickel Bibbs, Trap and trimmings," but how widespread cock was for faucet or tap in 1910 is not immediately clear A writer in the American Dialect Society Publication, issue 21 (1954) [combined snippets], meanwhile, takes a Freudian approach to analyzing the genesis of the term:
Is the phrase all to c**k considered profane? In the United States, cock is considered vulgar in almost every context, except possibly in situations with people you are very close friends with I have never heard the phrase all to cock used, but I'm not sure if that has to do with its vulgarity or just the arbitrary nature of dialectual phrase adoption Below are some more common American alternatives to the phrase, all meaning
How derogatory is “chicks” when used to refer to women? A comment in “What is a feminine version of guys?” got me wondering: how derogatory is the use of chicks to refer to women (either in general, or to a specific group) To me (I'm a man), it was quite
What is the etymology and literal meaning of Cock a snoot snook? The NOAD reports that the phrase (chiefly British) cock a snook means "place one's hand so that the thumb touches one's nose and the fingers are spread out, in order to express contempt;" it is also used with the meaning of "openly show contempt or a lack of respect for someone or something " He spent a lifetime cocking a snook at the art world As for the origin, the dictionary reports it is
Did people ever use the word cock as a euphemism for God? Cocksure, cocks wounds, etc were oaths and phrases from a time when using the word God was serious blasphemy But, basically, the word cock really seems to have meant God (at least to some people)