~Cobbing~, a punishment inflicted by sailors and soldiers among themselves. _See_ Grose and Captain Marryat's novels. A hand-saw is the general instrument of punishment.
~Cock~, a familiar term of address; "jolly old COCK," a jovial fellow, "how are you, old COCK?" Frequently rendered nowadays, COCK-E-E, a vulgar street salutation--probably a corruption of COCK-EYE. The latter is frequently heard as a shout or street cry after a man or boy.
~Cock~, a smoking term; "COCKING a Broseley," _i.e._, smoking a pipe. Broseley in Shropshire is famous for "churchwardens." A "COCK" is an apocryphal story, generally, of a murder or elopement bawled about the streets by the Seven Dials' "patterers."
~Cock~, a pugilistic term for a man who is knocked out of time. "Knocked him a reg'lar COCK." Sometimes used to signify knocked out of shape, as, "Knocked him A-COCK," probably connected with "cocked-hat shape." A horse who has been backed by the public, but who does not run, or, running, does not persevere.
~Cock~, "to COCK your eye," to shut or wink one eye, to make "sheep's-eyes."
~Cock-a-hoop~, in high spirits. Possibly the idea is from the fact that, if a cock wins a fight, he will mount on anything near, and crow lustily and jubilantly. It is noticeable that under these circumstances a cock always gets off the ground-level if he can.
~Cockalorum~, or COCKYLORUM, amplification of cock or cocky.
~Cock and bull story~, a long, rambling anecdote.--_See_ Peroration to _Tristram Shandy_.
~Cock-and-hen-club~, a free and easy gathering, or "sing-song," where females are admitted as well as males.
~Cock-and-pinch~, the old-fashioned beaver hat, affected by "swells" and "sporting gents" forty years ago--COCKED back and front, and PINCHED up at the sides.
~Cock-a-wax~, an amplification of the simple term COCK, sometimes "Lad of WAX," originally applied to a cobbler, but now general.
~Cocked-hat-club~, the principal clique amongst the members of the Society of Antiquaries, who virtually decide whether any person proposed shall be admitted or not. The term comes from the "cocked-hat" placed before the president at the sittings. There was another cocked-hat club in London not many years back, which had nothing peculiar about it beyond the fact that every member wore during club sittings, a "fore-and-aft" cocked-hat. Otherwise the proceedings were of the most ordinary kind.