Cock - Encyclopedia

A cock is:

• A male chicken. See cock (chicken) for more information. This is the original meaning. It is also called "rooster" or "cockerel".
  • Cockfighting is a sport in which two male chickens are made to fight one another for dominance.
  • The word rooster for a male chicken arose, especially in the USA, as a euphemism for cock, to avoid the vulgarism below for penis.
• In ornithologist's usage a male bird (a female is a "hen").
• a type of tap, faucet or valve.
  • Steam cock, is a drain valve on a steam engine cylinder.
  • Bib cock, a small type of valve.
  • Sample cock, small valve fitted in brewerys and other process industries to check the product during manufacture.
  • Stop cock to turn off the mains supply of water to a house. A Stop cock is also used in chemistry, the valve on a titration tube is called a stop cock.
  • Petcock, a small valve, primarily for draining liquid or releasing pressure from a vessel.
• A mild vulgarism for the penis.
  • The shape and function of the type of mechanism called the cock, and the male symbolism of the rooster, gives this term double reinforcement.
  • This is occasionally used for a hateful man, similar to dick, prick, or the feminine cunt.

• A part of a clock or watch used to support an outrigger bearing for a gear or lever. It is green in the image.
  • Balance cock, supports the balance wheel in a watch.
  • Fly cock, supports the fly on a bracket clock.
• A state of the hammer in a firearm. A gun may be "cocked" in readiness for firing. Flintlocks usually have two "cocked" positions, the first of which (half-cock) enables priming, but keeps the trigger locked. This is the origin of the term "going off at half cock" or "going off half-cocked", which describes premature firing.
• An alternative name for a shuttlecock.

• Caulk

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Cock", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page