cock

Cock or cocks most commonly refers to:

• Cock (bird) or rooster, a male of any bird species
• Cock (slang), a slang term for the penis

A rooster or cock is the adult male chicken. A younger male may be called a cockerel; a male that has been castrated is a capon.

There are numerous cultural references to cocks and cockerels, in myth, folklore and religion, in language and in literature.

According to Merriam-Webster, the term "rooster" (i.e. a roosting [(禽鸟)栖息] bird) originated in the mid- or late 18th century as a euphemism to avoid the sexual connotation of the original English "cock", and is widely used throughout North America. "Roosting" is the action of perching aloft to sleep at night, which is done by both sexes. The connotations of a particular word or name are the ideas or qualities which it makes you think of.

Roosters almost always start crowing [喔喔叫] before four months of age. Although it is possible for a hen to crow as well, crowing (together with hackles [(雄鸡等家禽颈上的)长羽毛] development) is one of the clearest signs of being a rooster.

A cockfight is a contest held in a ring called a cockpit between two cocks known as gamecocks. This term, denoting a cock kept for game, sport, pastime or entertainment, appears in 1646.

In his book A Diary in America, which recounts Marryat's experiences traveling through the young country, the naval officer appears to have invented the legend without even trying. The idea seems to have stemmed from an anecdote wherein a young woman Marryat was traveling with scraped her knee while visiting Niagara Falls. When Marryat asked if her “leg” was okay, she was apparently scandalized, replying that a gentleman only refers to "limbs" in the presence of a lady, and never “legs,” even when talking about furniture... No, Victorians Didn't Cover Up Table Legs Because They Were Too 'Sexy'

六级/考研单词: myth, folklore, accord, connotation, perch, aloft, crow, hen, contest, cockpit, denote, pastime, entertain, diary, legend, stem, anecdote, scrape, scandal, limb, furnish