c1225 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Bodl.) (1940) l. 703 Ne bið nan icrunet, bute hwa se treoweliche i þulli feht fehte, & wið strong cokkunge [a1250 Titus cockunge] ouercume hire seolf.

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1874) V. 259 (MED) Þey ȝaf hem al to dronkenesse, kokkynge, strif, and envie.

1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 41^v Betwene Aristippus and Diogenes the Cynike there was moche good cocking and striuing whether of them should win the spurres.

1654 J. Price Tyrants & Protectors 15 May we not well remember the English-Court-Ladies paintings, their patchings, their crispings, their curlings, their caps and feathers, the cocking of their beavors?

1881 W. Besant & J. Rice Chaplain of Fleet I. x. 201 As for the fashions..one year it is the cocking of a hat.

1884 Sanitary World 24 May 374/2 Much of the character of the man was supposed to be denoted by the cocking of his hat.

1990 R. A. Nablow Addisonian Trad. in France ii. 69 The most elegant of the country squires still appear in the Monmouth cock (a military cocking of the hat, fashionable from 1667).

1678 T. Shadwell Hist. Timon i. 9 Pomp and show, and holding up their heads, And cocking of their noses.

1713 A. Pope in Guardian 25 June 2/1 He strives as much as possible to get above his Size, by Stretching, Cocking, or the like.

1824 W. Irving Tales of Traveller I. 97 ‘Gentlemen,’ said I, with a slight cocking of the chin, and a bad attempt at a smile, ‘this is all very pleasant—ha! ha!—very pleasant.’

1891 Cornhill Mag. May 555 And now there is a sudden commotion in the pack,..a sudden cocking of ears and whisking of tails.

1919 Outing Aug. 297/1 Bill..straightened and whirled in time to see a curious jay alight upon the rump of his dozing pack-mule, then look round with an alert cocking of its head.

1996 C. Harmon & J. Andrisani Four Cornerstones of Winning Golf iv. 190 Whenever you pick the club up fairly abruptly, there is a tendency for the wrists to cock much more at the top of the backswing. This cocking is not all bad.

1747 George Faulkner Dublin Jrnl. 3–6 Oct. One Cocking-piece made by Fitzpatrick in Dublin.

1905 Kynoch Jrnl. July–Sept. 141 The scear and cocking piece are on the right side of the action.

2011 B. Calfee Art Rimfire Accuracy 488 What I show here is a close-up view of the sear connector, of the trigger, and, the cocking piece of the firing pin.

1858 W. Greener Gunnery in 1858 426 I would myself prefer the cocking pistol.

1570 T. Tusser Hundreth Good Pointes Husbandry (new ed.) f. 37 Some Cockneis with cocking are made very fooles fit neither for Prentice, for plough nor for schooles.

1607 R. West Court of Conscience sig. D Supporting Childrens pleasures so infirme, By cocking of your lobkin louts so wild, Still yeelding to them at each fond request.

1575 Churchwardens' Accts. Stanford in Antiquary (1888) 17 171/1 For moyng and kockyng of an acre of pulsse.

1611 R. Loder Farm Accts. (1936) 4 We payd for the mowing and cocking of the barlye.

1659 H. Hammond Paraphr. & Annot. Psalms (xxxix. 5 Annot.) 211/1 The toyle of the harvest, in reaping, binding, cocking.

1695 W. Kennett Parochial Antiq. Gloss. Ernes, the loose scattered ears of corn that are left on the ground after the binding or cocking of it.

1732 in Virginia Mag. Hist. & Biogr. (1977) 85 44 Their hay is the coursest Sedge, Cut with an hook and dryed without Turning or Cocking.

1793 J. Byng Diary 11 July in C. B. Andrews Torrington Diaries (1936) III. 196 Mr. W carried his hay after once turning it... What will the country lasses, accustom'd to turning, raking, cocking, etc, say to this?

1807 R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. (new ed.) II. 455 Grass should..be protected against rain and dew by cocking.

1860 R. F. Burton in Jrnl. Royal Geogr. Soc. 1859 29 405 [Tobacco] is prepared for sale in different forms. Everywhere, however, a simple sundrying supplies the place of cocking and sweating.

1905 E. W. Prevost Suppl. Gloss. Dial. Cumberland 64 Dumplin', hay in windrows which, when ready for cocking or carting, has been flattened by heavy rain.

1949 Buchan Observer 20 Sept. in Sc. National Dict. at Hooick v. An attempt to save the crops in an untoward season has sometimes been made by ‘heuicking’, or cocking, coling or hutting.

2013 G. Peterken Meadows (2014) v. 127 Cocking afforded some insurance against showers, but it increased the necessary labour.

1686 R. Blome Gentlemans Recreation iv. ix. 138 To take Pheasants with a Cocking-Cloth, in Crowing time.

1696 J. Aubrey Miscellanies v. 54 Sir Roger L'Estrange was wont to divertise himself with Cocking in his Father's..Park.

1736 ‘T. Bridgeabout’ Rinology (ed. 3) 22 I never went a Hunting, nor Setting, nor Coursing, nay, nor even Cocking, which is no Game, in all my born Days.

1857 C. Kingsley Two Years Ago II. i. 23 There ought to be noble cocking in these woods.

1870 Blaine's Encycl. Rural Sports (rev. ed.) vii. iv. 871 We have already noticed Wales..as affording good cocking.

1686 R. Blome Gentlemans Recreation iv. ix. 138 To take Pheasants with a Cocking-Cloth, in Crowing time. Take a Cloth of course Canvas..and put two Sticks to go cross-wise to keep it out,..and there must be a Hole in the Cloth to look out of... When you are near enough hold out the aforesaid Cloth at Arms end, and put the Nosel of the Gun out of the Hole, which serves as a Rest for the Gun, and so let Fly, and you will seldom miss; for Pheasants at this time will let you come near them, and the Cocks will be so bold as to fly at it.

1823 J. Lunn Horæ Jocosæ 154 At Cocking-main, or Badger-worrying bout He shone the leader.

1904 Daily Rev. (Decatur, Illinois) 13 Apr. 3/1 A big cocking main is to be fought in Indiana on..April 26... Each side is to show twenty-one cocks.

2006 D. G. Schwartz Roll Bones viii. 170 Cocking mains, or sets of cockfights, were elaborately staged public entertainment, conducted by a coordinating specialist, the pitmaster.

a1619 Lady A. Clifford Diaries (1990) 33 Grosvenor came hither & told me how my Lord had won £200 at the Cocking Match.

1712 London Gaz. No. 5016/4 A Cocking-Match..will be fought all the Race Week.

1852 W. M. Thackeray Henry Esmond II. viii. 140 Come along, and let's go see the cocking-match.

1908 Law Times 2 May 6/1 County engaged county in cocking matches.

1993 D. Birley Sport & Making of Brit. vi. 148 Their cocking matches, milling and other fashionable sports.

1762 Public Advertiser 5 June Small Lap Dogs, cocking Spaniels, Pointers.

1830 M. R. Mitford Our Village IV. 327 He is..famous for his breed of cocking spaniels.

2012 @betofuguw 17 Nov. in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) Arose from the snarling and vehement barking of a small cocking spaniel.

1710 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum II Cauking, in Architecture, signifies Dove-tailing across.

1793 P. Nicholson Carpenter's New Guide 36 Аt the bottom is shewn the manner of cocking down the tie beam upon the wall plate; the proper size of the cocking is figured at a.

1793 P. Nicholson Carpenter's New Guide 54 In fitting down tie beams upon the wall plates, never to make your cocking too large, nor yet too near the outside of the wall plate.

1819 P. Nicholson Archit. Dict. I. 262 Cocking..securing beams to wall-plates by notching each beam..on the under edge..and cutting reverse notches out of the top of the wall-plate.

1842 J. Gwilt Encycl. Archit. Gloss. 946 Caulking or Cocking, the mode of fixing the tie-beams of a roof or the binding joists of a floor down to the wall-plates.

1940 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 174/1 Cogging, a form of jointing used to connect one beam to another across which it is bearing... Also called caulking, cocking, corking.

1550 [implied in: W. Thomas Dictionarie sig. Cc, in Principal Rules Ital. Grammer Prouerbiosamente, cockynglie or villanousely. (at cockingly adv.)].

1556 J. Heywood Spider & Flie xliii. 20 In cockyng currish countenance.

1608 J. Day Humour out of Breath sig. G4^v How can wee choose but get cocking children, when father and mother too are both of the game.

1568 Newe Comedie Iacob & Esau ii. ii. sig. C.ij So nipping, so tripping, so cocking, so crowyng.

1599 T. Nashe Lenten Stuffe 24 The Galli Gallinacei, or cocking French swarme euery pissing while in their primmer editions.

1693 H. Higden Wary Widdow i. 3 This Knight is one of the Cocking Top-Fools in the Town, born to an Estate able to bear out his most Extravagent Folly.

1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 350. ⁋2 This is visible in all the cocking Youths you see about this Town.

1914 I. Bell Country Clash 14 For a' his cockin' airs he's as touchy's a shaky trummlie.

1694 T. D'Urfey Comical Hist. Don Quixote: Pt. 1 iv. i. 37 Thou hast an Eye like a Countess, says he a Cocking Nose like a Countess, says he.

1729 S. Johnson Hurlothrumbo (quarto ed.) iv. 39 Behold yon pamper'd high-fed Colt.., with twisted Neck and cocking Tail, with bended Knee he bounds away, disdaining all he sees.

1925 S. Lewis Arrowsmith xxxv. 388 They decided, almost irritably, that they looked utterly alike, except that her hair was more patent-leather than his and she lacked his impertinent, cocking eyebrow.

1956 Corsicana (Texas) Daily Sun 24 Sept. 8/3 Helen swung about startled, but instantly masking it at the drawling voice and cocking face of the Ape.

1570 T. Tusser Hundreth Good Pointes Husbandry (new ed.) f. 38 Yet cocking Mams, & shifting Dads from schooles, make pregnant wittes to proue vnlearned fooles.

1573 T. Tusser Points Huswifrie (new ed.) f. 31, in Fiue Hundreth Points Good Husbandry (new ed.) Where coeking Dads, make sawsie lads, In youth so rage, to beg in age.