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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

cock-up en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Etymology

First definition is a deverbal from cock up. Third definition is a shortening of cockernonnie.

Meanings

  1. (Commonwealth, mildly, slang, vulgar) A mistake.
    • In over a quarter of a century of writing this column, there has been no end of scandals, mishaps, errors and general cock-ups resulting from ministerial incompetence. 2023 November 15, Christian Wolmar, “Ministers should carry the can for ticket office fiasco”, in RAIL, number 996, page 46:
    • If the zodiac was already developed in 2000 BC, it must have been kept as a cult secret or in some non-Babylonian country; this would be a 1500-year conspiracy theory. More likely is the individual cockup theory, viz. the naivety of Eudoxus himself. 1998, John H. Roger, “Origins of the ancient constellations: II. The Mediterranean traditions”, in Journal of the British Astronomy Association, volume 108, number 2, page 81, column 2:
    • And I'm sorry for all the cock-ups, my cabinet are absolute crap. We'll have to do better next year. 2003, Richard Curtis, Love Actually, spoken by Prime Minister (Hugh Grant):
  2. (Ireland, UK, obsolete, qualifier:printers' slang) A superior letter; a lower-case letter placed above the baseline and made smaller than ordinary script; traditionally used in abbreviations.
    • The first word of every section or chapter is generally put in small capitals, after a small neat cock-up letter. 1824, John Johnson, Typographia, volume 2, page 33:
  3. (Scotland, obsolete) A roll or twist of hair worn at the nape of the neck; a bun.
    • Cockernonie, a gathering up of the hair of women, after a fashion similar to that of the modern "chignon," and sometimes called a "cock-up." Mr. Kirkton, of Edinburgh, preaching against "cock-ups"—of which chignons were the representatives a quarter of a century ago—said: "I have been all this year preaching against the vanity of women, yet I see my own daughter in the kirk even now with as high a 'cock-up' as any one of you all." 1888, Charles Mackay, A Dictionary of Lowland Scotch, page 30:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
cock-ups Number=Plur lexicographic

Relateds

cocked-up · cock up

Synonyms

disadventure · gaffe · boo-boo · fault · foul-up (mistake) · oopsy · thinko · mistake · screw-up · slip-up · clanger · balls-up (mistake) · break · slip · screw-up (mistake) · faux pas · screwup · mess-up · blooper · cock-up · lapsus · aberration · erroneity · misadventure · slipup · lapse · flub · chignon · fuck-up · fuckup · blunder · floater · boner · wrength · misstep · fluff · fuck-up (mistake) · howler · bloomer · solecism · goof · bun · inaccuracy · stumble · error