| Part of Speech | Definition | |
| Adjective | 1. Being shy, coy, shamefaced, bashful or sheepish.
[Eve - graph theoretic] 2. Rarely used base adjective of the adverb cockshily.[Eve - graph theoretic] | |
| Adverb Form (cockshily) | 1. Virtually never used adverbial inflection of the rarely used adjective cockshy.[Eve - graph theoretic] | |
| Noun | 1. A game in which trinkets are set upon sticks, to be thrown at by the players; -- so called from an ancient popular sport which consisted in "shying" or throwing cudgels at live cocks.[Websters]
2. An object at which stones are flung.[Websters]. | |
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), compiled from various sources, under license. | Top | |
Date "COCKSHY" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1898. (references) |
Specialty Definition: COCKSHY
| Domain | Definition | ||
| Literature | Cockshy (A ). A free fling or "shy" at something. The allusion is to the once popular Shrove-Tuesday sport of shying or casting stones or sticks at cocks. This sport is now superseded by pigeon-shooting, which is thought to be more aristocratic! but can hardly be deemed more humane. Source: Brewer's Dictionary. | ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | Top | ||
