cock-up

See also: cockup and cock up

English

Etymology

Deverbal from cock up.

Pronunciation
  • Audio (AU)(file)

Noun

cock-up (plural cock-ups)

  1. (UK, mildly vulgar slang) A mistake.
    Synonyms: screw-up, (vulgar) fuck-up; see also Thesaurus:error
    • 2023 November 15, Christian Wolmar, “Ministers should carry the can for ticket office fiasco”, in RAIL, number 996, page 46:
      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.
  2. (obsolete, UK, printers' slang) A superior letter. A lower-case letter placed above the baseline and made smaller than ordinary script; traditionally used in abbreviations.
    • 1824, John Johnson, Typographia, volume 2, page 33:
      The first word of every section or chapter is generally put in small capitals, after a small neat cock-up letter.
  3. (obsolete, Scotland) A roll or twist of hair worn at the nape of the neck; a bun.
    • 1888, Charles Mackay, A Dictionary of Lowland Scotch‎, page 30:
      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."

Synonyms

See also

References
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