nestle-cock

See also: nestlecock

English

Etymology

From nestle +‎ cock. Compare nest-cock & nest-cockle.

Noun

nestle-cock (plural nestle-cocks)

  1. (Britain, dialectal) The last-hatched chick of a brood, the weakling of a brood.
  2. (Britain, dialectal, by extension) A mama's boy, a delicate child; a spoiled brat
    • a. 1632, T. Middleton et al., Any Thing for Quiet Life (1662), iv. sig. E4v:
      My mother was wont to call me your Nestle-cock, and I love you as well as she did.
    • 1986, P. O'Brian, Reverse of Medal, v. 161:
      You ignorant incompetent whey-faced nestlecock.

Alternative forms

Synonyms

References
  • Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd ed. "nestle-cock, n.". Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2003.
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