cockhorse 
My gentlemen return '<! to their lodgings mi cockhorse, 
and begun to think of a fund for a glorious equipage. 
iti'iitli'iiiii a JnttruetM, p. -ITi. 
II. u. 1. Mounted as on a hobby-horse, or 
as if on horseback. [Bare.] 2. Proud; up- 
start. [Rare.] 
Ciickluirxf peasantry. Marlowr. 
cockhorse (kok'hors), adv. [< cockhorse, a.] 
Astride. 
Alma, they .strenuously maintain, 
Hits Cock-Horse on her Throne the Brain. 
yv/or, Alma, i. 
A huge fellow, with one eye closed and half his whiskers 
burned by the explosion of powder, was riding ooek-hant 
on a |?un. X. A. Ret., CXXVI. 269. 
COCkie-leekie (kok'i-16'ki), n. [Sc., also writ- 
ten cimky-lccky and cock-a-lcckie, a loose dim. 
compound of rod, i + lick.'] Soup made of a 
cock or other fowl boiled with leeks. 
cockillet, The old English form of cockle'*. 
cocking 1 (kok'iug), n. [Verbal n. of cock 1 , .] 
Cockdighting. 
Cries out gainst rocil/m/, since he cannot bet. 
/>'. ./ii/iKon, Epigrams, cxix. 
Let cullies th;it !'>.* at a race 
Oo venture :it hazard to win, 
Or he that is Imbhl'd at dice 
Recover at i-oi'k/i/'i again. 
Quoted in Xtrntt'x Sports and Pastimes, p. 106. 
COCking'-'t, [ME. rokkifiigc, cockuiige; verbal 
n. of cuclf', c. ] Fighting; battling; sparring; 
disputing. I'daU. 
Mars with fluting anil enkkinifi. 
Trrrixit, tr. of (linden's Polychronicoii, III. S3. 
Ne beth nan icrunet [crowned ) bute whase [whoso] 
treowelieheitlmllefeht flhte & with strung coefcufljw ouer- 
cume hire flench, lluli Mciileiilml (cd. Cockayne), p. 47. 
cocking 3 ! (kok'ing). i>. a. [Ppr. of cock, v. Cf. 
cockering, ppr. of cocker*, .] Cockering. 
Cocking dads make sawcie lads 
In youth to rage, to beg in age. 
Tusser, Life, p. 162. 
cocking-niain (kok'ing-man), n. A series of 
cock-fights carried on in immediate succession 
between two sides or parties. 
COCkish (kok'ish), a. [< cockl + -i.s/jl. Cf. cocky, 
cockcfi.] Like a cock; arrogant; pert; for- 
ward ; presuming. [Colloq.] 
cockishness ( kok ' ish - nes), n. Uppishness ; 
arrogance ; impertinence ; presumption. [Col- 
Ion.] 
COCk-laird (kok'lard), n. A person who owns 
a small landed property and cultivates it him- 
self; a yeoman. [Scotch.] 
cockle 1 (kok'l), . [< ME. cockle, cockel, cokkel, 
cokel, < AS. coccel, tares, < Ir. cogal, corn-cockle, 
beards of barley, = Gael, cogall, tares, husks, 
cockle, cogull, corn-cockle ; cf. eochull, a husk, 
shell. Cf. F. coquiol, coquioule, cockle, also of 
Celtic origin. Ult. connected with coefcte 2 .] 1. 
Darnel, Lolium tenmlentum ; rye-grass, L. pe- 
renne; tare; a weed generally. 
His enmye came and sew aboue demel or cokil. 
Wycli/, Mat. xiii. 25. 
Cokytte, wede, nigella, lollium, zizania. 
Prompt. Pan., p. 86. 
Let thistles grow Instead of wheat, and cockle instead of 
barley. Job xxxi. 40. 
Such were the first weak steps of the fathers of our lan- 
guage, who, however, culled for us many a (lower among 
their cockle. I. D' Israeli, Amen, of Lit., I. 312. 
2. The corn-rose or corn-cockle, Lychnis (Agro- 
stemma) Githago. 
cockle 2 (kok'l), n. [< ME. cokel, perhaps dim. 
of *cok, cocke, a shell (see cock) ; otherwise < 
OF. (and F.) coquillc, a shell, cockle, = Sp. 
coquillo = It. cochlglia, < L. conchylium (see 
conchylious), < Gr. Koy^Wrov, dim. of myxyty, 
a small kind of mussel or cockle, < n&yxti, L- 
concha, a shell, conch, > F. coque, a cockle, a 
shell: see cockle 1 , cockle 3 , cock 8 , and conch.'} 
1. A mollusk of the 
family Cardiidw and 
genus Cardium ; es- 
pecially, the com- 
mon edible species 
of Europe, Cardium 
edule; the shell of 
such mollusks. 2. 
An equivalve bi- 
valve, resembling or 
related to mollusks 
of the genus Cardi- 
II lit. (a) A bivalve mol- Common Cockle (Cardium edule . 
luskof tile family M ni<iir, 
Ml/a tmncata : so called in the Hebrides ; more fully call- 
ed lady-cockle, (b) A hivalve mollusk of the family 7Vc(t- 
nidce; the scallop. (<-t) The oyster. 
And as the cockille, with heauenly dewe so cleue 
Of kynde, engendereth white perils rounde. 
Lydaate, p. 46. 
1079 
(Allusion Is here made to the old fulile that oysters rise 
to the surface of the water at the full moon, and "|>< n 
then shell-, In n reive the falling dew-drops, which thus 
harden into pearls.) 
3. A univalve niolltisk of the family .\lnrifiiln-: 
the murex or purple-fish. 
There aiv rtu-klt* in great numbers, with which they 
dye a scarlet colour >o strong umi lair that neither the 
heat of the sun nor tile violence of the lain will change 
it, and the older it is, the better it looks. 
i'n mii<' n. liritamila, p. 96--'. 
4f. A ringlet or crimp. 
The Queen had inkling ; instantly she sped 
To curl the fufkln ol her new-liiillLhl head. 
Sylvester, tr. of Du Bartas's Weeks, ii.. The I ' 
5. [See cockle^, r.] The instrument used in 
cockling the cogs of a mill. 1C. It. cockles of 
the heart, the in nf the heart. |A [ihln-e 
of unknown origin, but probahlj conliecti-d with nirkl"-. 
n., a shell, and i-m-klr-, r.. to pucker.] 
Polyglot tossed a bumper off ; It cheer'd 
The cockle* of his tirm-t. 
Column tfi>' Yonnyer, Poet. Vagaries, p. 147. 
Hot cockles [a fanciful name; cf. to cry cockles, (h), he- 
low], a kind of game. See the extracts. 
Hot Cockles, from the Krcm h liinttnt-ciHiuilli'* |an einui. 
is a play in which one kneels, ami covering his eyes lays 
his head in another's lap and guesses who struck him. 
Strutt, Sports and Pastimes, p. 601. 
As at Hot Cockles once I laid me down, 
And felt the weighty Hand of many a Clown; 
Buxoma gave a gentle Tap, and I 
Quick rose, and read soft Mischief In her eye. 
Oay, .Shepherd's Week, Monday, 1. 99. 
Lady-cockle. () A bivalve mollusk of (lie family Mac- 
Iriilif, Mtii-lra mMnmcata : so called at Belfast, Ireland. 
It is rarely used except as bait for fishing or as food for 
pigs. (6) Same as cockle^, > (a). to cry cockles. (<() Ti i 
vend cockles by crying them In the streets, (fc) To be 
hanged : from the noise made while strangling. Groat. 
[Prov. Eng.l 
cockle 2 (kok'l), v. ; pret. and pp. cockled, ppr. 
cockling. [< cockle 2 , n., with ref. to the wrin- 
kles of a cockle-shell. In the 3d sense perhaps 
of diff. origin.] I. intrant. 1. To pucker or 
contract into wrinkles, as cloth or glass. 
The sorting together of Wools of seuerall natures . . . 
causeth cloth to cockle and lie vneuen. 
Hakluyt'i Voyages, II. 162. 
Parchment does not cockle unless wet through. 
Workshop Receipts, 2d ser., p. 251. 
2. To rise into frequent ridges, as the waves 
of a chopping sea. 
Bipllng and cockling seas. Dampier, Voyages, II. ill. 5. 
A short cockling sea which must very soon have bulged 
the ship. Cook, Voyages, I. Hi. 7. 
It [Massachusetts Bay] is both safe, spacious, and deep, 
free from such cockling seas aa run upon the coast of Ire- 
laud and In the channels of England. 
Quoted in Tyler's Amer. Lit., I. 173. 
3. To make a slight score on the cogs or teeth 
of a mill, as a guide for cutting off their ends, 
so that the whole may be given a truly circular 
form. 
II. trans. To cause to pucker in wrinkles : 
as, rain will cockle silk. 
Showers soon drenched the camlet's cockled grain. 
Gay, Trivia, i. 46. 
When heated and plunged hi water or oil, they are 
curled and cockled in all shapes [articles of steel]. 
Set. Amer., N. S., LVI. 251. 
cockle 3 (kok'l), . [< F. coquillc, a kind of 
?rate or stove, also lit. a shell : see cockle 2 .'] 
. The body or fire-chamber of an air-stove, 
usually made of fire-brick. 2. A kind of kiln or 
stove for drying hops. 3. In porcelain-mamif., 
a large stove used for drying biscuit-ware which 
has been dipped in glaze, preparatory to burn- 
ing. 
cockle 4 t (kok'l), . [Dim. of cock'-. Cf. cock- 
erel.^ A young cock ; a cockerel. 
cockle* (kok'l), v. i. ; pret. and pp. cockled, ppr. 
cockling. [Cf. cockle*, n., and cock 1 , .] To 
crv like a cock. [Prov. Eng.] 
cockle-boat (kok'1-bot), n. Same as cockboat. 
cockle-brained (kok '1 -brand), a. [Appar. < 
cockle* + brain + -cd 2 . Cf. cock-brained and 
chuckle-headed.'] Chuckle-headed ; foolish. Also 
cockle-headed. [Scotch.] 
COCkle-brillion (kok'l-bril'yon), n. [< cockle? 
+ brillion, said to be < Bret, brelin or vr6lin, 
a wrinkle.] A bivalve mollusk of the family 
Mi/idee, Mya truncata : so called at Belfast in 
Ireland. 
cockle-bur (kok'1-ber), n. 1. The clot-bur, 
Xanthium Strwnarium, a weedy composite plant 
with close spiny involucres. 
A shaggy white pony the abundant hair of his tail and 
mane thickly clotted with cockle-burs. 
W. M. Baker, New Timothy, p. 108. 
2. The agrimony, Agrimonia Eupatoria. 
cockled (kok 'Id), a. [< cockle*, n., + -ecft.] 
Having a shell like that of a cockle ; inclosed 
in a shell. [Rare.] 
cockney 
The tender horns of firHed snails. 
-Vi.it., L. L. L.,iv. 3. 
COCkle-garden (kok'l-niir'iln), A preserve 
by tli<' srii fur tin- kiTping of shell-lisa. Also 
eockc-fiiinli-ii. i'tirk-1/iirdiii. [Eiig.] 
At Stul elii^s tbe> h;ive sni:dl - where the 
shellfish are kept, illnl the IlilMlllr Hi these I nekles is COII- 
M'leieii ll|M;rior to those which ft] -'heie. 
M. \ /...//W/ . l.ilil.le llritish MollllscaUHM), p. 4-2. 
cockle-hat (kok'1-liat), . A hat bearing a scal- 
lop-shell, the badge of a pilgrim. Sec .///. 
IIH '-ufl.l,- lint :,|id start. Slink., Hamlet, iv. ,'i. 
cockle-headed (kok'l-hed"cd), n. [Appar. < 
coc/.-/c-l 4- html + -fl-.] Same as cfickle-briini' <l. 
Soott. 
cockle-oast (kok'1-ost), n. A kind of kiln for 
drying hops. 
cockier (kok'li'r), . [<<</./>". ., + -</!.] One 
who .-cll.s cockles. Gray. 
cockle-sauce (kok'1-sas), n. A sauce made 
from cockles, with water, flour, butter, cream, 
ninl various condiments. 
cockle-shell (kok'1-shel), . 1. The shell of 
the cockle, especially the common cockle, Car- 
dium edule. See cut under cockle 3 . 
Shall we only sport and play, or gather cockle-shells anil 
lay them in heaps like Children, till w e are snatched away 
past all reciA Stilli ,.'/;<<', sermons, I. xli. 
Cockleshells are used as cultch for the oyster spat to ad- 
here to. M. S. Lowell, Edible British Molluca(1884),p. 44. 
2. A representation of a cockle, serving, in- 
stead of the shell itself, as the badge and at- 
tribute of a pilgrim: in her., same as scallop. 
3. A cockboat. 
cockle-stair (kok'1-star), . A winding or spi- 
ral stair. [Prov. Eng.] 
cockle-stove (kok'1-stov), . A stove in which 
the cockle or fire-chamber is surrounded by air- 
currents, which, after being heated sufficiently, 
are admitted into the apartments to be warmed. 
cockle-strewert (kok't-strS'er), . A person 
whose duty it was to strew the earth with 
cockle-shells for the game of pall-mall. 
The earth is mlered, and that over all there is cockle- 
shells ]K)wdered and spread, to keep it fast, which, how- 
ever, in dry weather turns to dust and deads the ball. 
The person who had the care of grounds was called the 
Kings cockle-strewr. 
Quoted in Jf. S. LoweU'f Edible British Mollusca(1884), 
[p. 45. 
cocklety (kok'l-ti). a. [Appar. a var. of "cock- 
ly, < cockle 2 , .] Unsteady. [Prov. Eng.] 
cockle-wife (kok'1-wif ), . A woman who col- 
lects cockles or scrapes for them. [Eng.] 
The sand hanks are lined with cockle-wives scraping for 
cockles. M. S. Lovxll, Edible British Mollusca(18S4), p. 43. 
cocklight (kok'lit), n. [< cocfci + light.'] Day- 
break. [Prov. Eng.] 
cockloacht, cocklochet, [< F. coqueluche, a 
hood.] A fool ; a coxcomb. 
A couple of cockloches. Shirley, Witty Fair One, U. 2. 
COCk-lobster (kok'lob'ster), . The male of 
the lobster. 
cocklochet, ". See cockloach. 
cockloft (kok'loft), n. [< cocki + i o ft. Vf.coeg- 
lofft, a garret, is from the E. word.] A small 
loft in the top of a house; a small garret or 
apartment immediately under the roof. 
My garrets, or rather my cock-lofts, ... are indifferent- 
ly furnished. Swift. 
cock-master (kok'mas'ter), n. One who breeds 
or trains game-cocks. 
A cockmaxter bought a partridge, and turned It among 
the fighting cocks. Sir R. L' Estrange. 
cock-match (kok'mach), . A cock-fight for a 
prize. Addison. 
cockmate (kok'mat), n. A mate ; companion. 
Not disdayning their cockrnates or refraining their com- 
pany. Lyly, Euphues, Anat. of Wit, p. 145. 
cock-metal (kok'met'al), . A soft alloy com- 
posed of 2 parts of copper and 1 part of lead. 
It is used for large vessels and measures, and 
for taps or cocks. Also cock-brass. 
cock-nest (kok'nest), n. A nest built by a male 
bird and not used for incubation. Such structures 
are commonly made by various wrens, as the common 
long-hilled marsh-wren of the United States, Cistothorwt 
or Telmatodytes palustris, for no known purpose, unless it 
be for a roosting-place or kind of play-house. 
The male wren (Troglodytes) of Xorth America builds 
code-nests to roost in, like the males of our kitty-wrens 
a habit wholly unlike that of any other known bird. 
Darwin, Origin of Species (ed. 1886), p. 2S4. 
cockney (kok'ni), . and a. [Early mod. E. also 
cockneyc, cocknaye, cocknaie ; < ME. cockney, 
cocknaye, cokeney, eokenay, coknay (see defini- 
tions). The origin has been much disputed, 
the form and sense of the word having become 
