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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

cosh en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /kɒʃ/

Etymology

Probably from Romani košter (“stick”).

Meanings

  1. A weapon made of leather-covered metal similar to a blackjack.
    • The caissier has a cosh and a gun to protect him, and to heave over the barrier and steal some notes and then vault back and get out of the casino through the passages and doors would be impossible. 1953, Ian Fleming, “The Secret Agent”, in Casino Royale, London: Pan Books, published 1955, page 8:
  2. A blunt instrument such as a bludgeon or truncheon.
  3. (UK, dated, slang) The cane.
    • Often, he walked around the room with the cosh in his hand, taking slashes at legs that happened to stray sideways […] 2019, John Loveday, The Boy from Rod Alley, page 115:
    • There is no need here to digress on the advantages or otherwise of using a 'cosh' in schools […] 1959, Iona Opie, Peter Opie, The lore and language of schoolchildren, page 374:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
coshes Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

liquid cosh · chemical cosh · cosh pocket · under the cosh

cosh en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /kɒʃ/

Etymology

Probably from Romani košter (“stick”).

Meanings

  1. (transitive) To strike with a weapon of this kind.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
coshes Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
coshed Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
coshed Tense=Past lexicographic
coshing Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Relateds

bludgeon

cosh en · ADJ · etymology 2

Meanings

  1. (Scotland) cozy; snug

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
more cosh Degree=Cmp lexicographic
most cosh Degree=Sup lexicographic

cosh en · NOUN · etymology 3

Meanings

  1. (uncountable) hyperbolic cosine