| 释义 |
peacockn.adj. Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: po n.1, cock n.1, pea n.1 Etymology: In α. and β. forms < po n.1 + cock n.1 In γ. forms < pea n.1 + cock n.1 For further discussion of forms see po n.1 Compare peahen n. Perhaps compare also pajock n.Early currency of the word is perhaps implied by surnames, e.g. Rogeris Paucoc (1194), William Pecoc (1219), Rob. Parcok (1251), etc. A. n. 1. the world > animals > birds > order Galliformes (fowls) > family Phasianidae (pheasants, etc.) > [noun] > paro cristatus (peafowl) > male or peacock α. c1175 Libellus de Nominibus Naturalium Rerum in T. Hunt (1991) I. 23 Pavo, pococ, i. poun. ?c1335 in W. Heuser (1904) 155 Wild ges and a poucok. 1340 (1866) 258 (MED) Þe pokoc him prette uor his uayre tayle. tr. Palladius (Duke Humfrey) (1896) i. 610 The pocok me may rere vp esely. c1450 (c1350) (Bodl.) (1929) 716 (MED) A fair pokok of pris men paien to Juno. ?a1500 Nominale (Yale Beinecke 594) in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker (1884) I. 760/38 Hic pavo,..a pocokk. the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > fowls > [noun] > peacock α. a1425 (a1399) Forme of Cury (BL Add.) 152 in C. B. Hieatt & S. Butler (1985) 132 Pokok and pertruch shul be perboiled, lardid and rosted. a1450 Terms Assoc. in (1936) 51 604 (MED) A pocok [v.r. peycoke] dyffugryde. the mind > emotion > pride > ostentation > [noun] > ostentatious person the mind > emotion > pride > vainglory > behave vaingloriously [verb (intransitive)] a1425 (c1385) G. Chaucer (1987) i. 210 He hitte hym atte fulle, And yet as proud a pekok [v.rr. pakoc, pocok] kan he pulle. ?1548 J. Bale ii. sig. Bvv Thre syppes are for the hyckock, And vj. more for the chyckock, Thus maye my praty pyckock, Recouer by and by. a1592 R. Greene (1599) v. sig. H1v Nay then proud pecock since thou art so stout [etc.]. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) iv. iii. 80 Flie pride saies the Pea-cocke, Mistris that you know. View more context for this quotation 1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. T. Boccalini 84 Proudly playing the Peacocks, and publikely professing severity. 1745 G. Washington liv Play not the Peacock, looking everywhere about you, to see if you be well deck't. 1828 22 134 Ben Champion, a peacock of fox-hunters. 1866 ‘G. Eliot’ I. v. 125 How came he to have such a nice-stepping, long-necked peacock for his daughter? 1924 S. O'Casey (title) Juno and the paycock. 1977 T. Murphy viii. 70 The peacock! Look at the strut of him! 1998 C. Barker vi. v. 337 Old clothes. I don't think he'd even worn them. You know what a peacock he was. the world > animals > fish > superorder Acanthopterygii (spiny fins) > order Perciformes (perches) > suborder Labrioidei (wrasse) > [noun] > family Labridae > member of genus Crenilabrus (gilt-head) ?1527 L. Andrewe tr. sig. ti Pauus maris is the Pecocke of the Se & is lyke the pecocke of the londe bothe his backe necke & hede, & the nether body is fisshe. the world > the universe > constellation > Southern constellations > [noun] > Pavo 1659 J. Moxon i. iii. §10 19 Twelve Constellations..,posited about the South Pole,..3 The Indian, 4 The Peacock, 5 The Bird of Paradise. 1721 J. Keill vi. 50 Upon the South side of the Zodiack..are lately added xii more Constellations. Which are not to be seen by us who Inhabit the Northern Regions... These are the Crane, the Peacock, the Indian, [etc.]. 1868 W. Lockyer & J. N. Lockyer tr. A. Guillemin (ed. 3) 335 The Phœnix, below which, returning to the horizon, and to the meridian, are found Toucan, the Crane, the Indian, and the Peacock. 1981 C. A. Ronan 61 Grus (the Crane) is very close to the zenith, while Sagittarius (the Archer), Pavo (the Peacock) and Hydrius (the Sea Serpent) are high in the sky. 2001 (Nexis) 1 Dec. 9 To their west is the constellation of Pavo, the Peacock. 4. the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Rhopalocera (butterflies) > [noun] > family Nymphalidae > subfamily Ithomiinae > genus Vanessa > vanessa io (peacock butterfly) 1775 M. Harris 5 Peacock..[Papilio] Io. 1827 L. Jermyn (new ed.) 112 Vanessa Io, Peacock. 1885 24 Dec. 14/4 The fourth class consists of those which pass the wintry months as perfect butterflies, and includes our several species of vanessa, such as the red admiral, peacock, and small tortoiseshell. 1922 V. Woolf ii. 36 The painted ladies and the peacocks feasted upon bloody entrails dropped by a hawk. 1994 14 July 18/4 The peacocks will begin to emerge in the next few days and the new brood of tortoiseshells should be prolific in August. 2007 R. Belben 19 Peacocks had alighted on the buddleia. the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Heterocera > [noun] > family Geometridae > macaria notata or alternata (peacock) 1832 J. Rennie 143 The Peacock (M[acaria] notata, Curtis) appears the end of May and beginning of June. 1869 E. Newman 87 The Peacock... The Sharp-angled Peacock. 1908 R. South 2nd Ser. 288 Sharp-angled Peacock. 1984 B. Skinner 53/1 Dusky Peacock Semiothisa signaria Hübner. the world > matter > colour > named colours > blue or blueness > [noun] > greenish blue 1881 C. C. Harrison iii. 165 Peacock, turquoise, celestine, drake's neck, Damascus blue and robin's-egg blue. 1922 11 Dec. 14 (advt.) Frock... In Brown, Lemon, Peacock, Rose, Mauve. 1963 29 June 44 Sizes 8–18. Cranberry, peacock, olive. 1995 3 Apr. 21/1 The results were of surpassing beauty, in such shades as peacock, emerald, gold and conch pink. the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fishing-tackle > means of attracting fish > [noun] > artificial fly > types of 1950 J. E. Leonard xiv. 243 (table) Peacock..[wings] dark gray duck [hackle] black [body] peacock herl, gold tip. 1990 Feb. 15/3 Try a..straight peacock with several No. 8's dragging the bottom to steady the bait. B. adj.the world > matter > colour > named colours > blue or blueness > [adjective] > greenish blue 1873 L. Troubridge (1966) viii. 60 A peacock grosgrain and white lace bonnet. 1897 W. B. Yeats 35 When the peacock curtains had closed behind us. 1924 C. Mackenzie i. 11 He..sat for awhile on the sweet short grass of Pendhu cliffs, contemplating the peacock sea below. 1971 ‘D. Halliday’ xii. 166 The sea lay clear as shellac underneath us, jade and turquoise, cerulean and peacock. 1990 P. Genega 25 Beyond the world's weather, beneath a peacock sky—That's where I spent the day. Compounds C1. Designating a person or thing like, associated with, or suggestive of a peacock, esp. in being ostentatious, proud, or vain. a. 1894 F. P. Cobbe I. 174 Watching their victim and exploding with glee at his peacock behaviour. 2000 (Nexis) 29 Jan. 4 This peacock behaviour is confirmed by several estate agents. ‘So many male buyers jump at a flash property that they can use to impress others.’ 1642 J. Eaton 454 Ape-Saints, and Peacock-Christians (as Luther truly calleth them). the world > matter > colour > named colours > blue or blueness > [noun] > greenish blue 1598 R. Haydocke tr. G. P. Lomazzo iii. x. 110 The shaddowes of the simple and immixt colours of the thirde degree, suppose the aggate colour, are burnt oker, darke blew, peacocke colour [etc.]. 1661 T. Blount (new ed.) xiv. 156 Peacocke colour, i.e. changeable blew, or red blew. 1893 June 768/1 Their exquisite pale peacock color is without equal among the eggs of our Eastern birds. 1997 (Nexis) 29 Sept. e1 Bobby looks politely appalled by the couple, adorned in appropriately garish peacock colors. 1575 G. Gascoigne Weedes in vi. 281 For thou hast caught a proper paragon A theefe, a cowarde and a peacocke foole. the world > matter > colour > named colours > grey or greyness > [noun] > other greys 1935 D. Thomas Let. in (1966) 153 You write better when you've got someone..sneering when you go purple & using a cruel pencil over your choicest peacock-greys. 1642 J. Eaton 206 Apish Saints, and painted Peacock-Justiciaries. 1580 Sir P. Sidney tr. xl. ii Who bendes not wand'ring eyes To greate mens peacock pride. 1606 W. Warner xvi. cii. 404 Nor squard, as chanst, the Parson for tithe whit-meats, lambe, wool, Shocks, As some not pardoning poorest Soules their pēce for hēs & cocks, When that h'as all he all consumes on peacock Pride and smocks. 1888 A. McLachlan 134 Just see him stride with peacock pride Of his collar, cap, and feathers. 1991 6 May 15/2 They seem to lack the sense of struggle that has contributed significantly to the strength of his earlier drawings; they seem marred by peacock pride. 1860 R. W. Emerson Worship in (London ed.) 184 In creeds never was such levity; witness the heathenisms in Christianity,..the peacock ritualism. 1609 G. Markham (1868) 24 Cheaters, braggarts and the peacock slaue, whose words and cloathes are all the welth they haue. 1737 J. Thurston Fall i, in (ed. 2) 113 View'd the gay court, with all it's peacock train, Regardless view'd it, and came home again. 1820 T. Mitchell tr. Aristophanes Acharnians in tr. Aristophanes I. 22 A plague upon these envoys, I hate their peacock trains. 1991 (Nexis) 21 Apr. 42 The peacock train (which the bird regrows each year, like a deer's antlers) weighs about three-quarters of a kilogram, in a bird with a body weight of 5kg. 1864 Ld. Tennyson Enoch Arden in 6 The..peacock-yewtree and the lonely Hall. b. 1904 at Peacock sb. Peacock-spotted. 2003 www.indianhorse.com 10 Sept. (O.E.D. Archive) An American Indian Horse..may be of any color, often includes the rare colors such as lilac roan, peacock spotted leopard, or overano paint. 1903 8 Oct. 3/2 The shrill peacock-voiced American woman. 1930 O. Moore 292 Sour-smelling unkempt blowsy peacock-voiced women, the hollow-faced men unfitted for their work, the hordes of ill-clad pale children sitting for hours. 1883 H. F. Martin in Jan. 10 [Cymbeline's Queen's] handsome peacock-witted son Cloten. C2. society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > missile > arrow > [noun] > other types of arrow c1387–95 G. Chaucer 104 A sheef of pecok [v.rr. pocok, pokoke] arwes..he bar ful thriftily. 1973 2 Nov. 450/3 This piscivore, bright yellow with black vertical bars, derives its pseudonym of ‘Peacock Bass’..from the conspicuous ocellus (eyespot), black encircled by a gold ring, located at the base of the caudal peduncle. 1989 (Royal Soc.) B. 325 5 The introduction as a game fish of the peacock bass, Cichla ocellaris, into Lake Gatun in Panama led to the elimination of eight of the 11 commonest native fish. 2003 (Nexis) 14 Sept. c19 Texas anglers are willing to pay $4,000 to $5,000 a week for peacock bass fishing. 1870 P. Gillmore tr. L. Figuier 343 Its brilliant hues have obtained for it in Guinea the name of the Little Peacock or Sun Bittern.] 1890 Peacock-bittern, the sun-bittern, Eurypyga helias. the world > matter > colour > named colours > blue or blueness > [noun] > greenish blue 1881 C. C. Harrison i. 65 The curtains made of peacock blue, are bordered with..bands of turquoise blue serge. 1882 H. P. Grattan in June 348 Fashion..was carried to the verge of caricature. Crimson and peacock blue stocks, three layers of different coloured under~waistcoats, [etc.]. 1952 G. F. Hervey & J. Hems 260 (heading) Rachow's Fundulus. Native to Portuguese East Africa. The general colour is a soft peacock-blue, the back darker. 1992 N. Bhattacharya vii. 94 Wash your face and hands, comb your hair and slip into your peacock blue sari and then go inside to touch your mother-in-law's feet. the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Rhopalocera (butterflies) > [noun] > family Nymphalidae > subfamily Ithomiinae > genus Vanessa > vanessa io (peacock butterfly) the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Rhopalocera (butterflies) > [noun] > family Nymphalidae > subfamily Ithomiinae > genus Inachis > inachis io (peacock butterfly) c1760 iii. i. 55 The peacock-butterfly. You must look for the Caterpillar that produces this Fly in the great Stinging-Nettle. 1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence III. xxx. 214 The black spinous caterpillars of the common peacock-butterfly (Vanessa Io). 1965 P. Wayre ix. 114 Tortoiseshell and peacock butterflies feed on the nectar. 1990 Dec. 23/1 The Peacock butterfly likes to lay her eggs on stinging nettles in late Spring. 1988 20 320/1 Other medium- and large-sized predatory fishes..included..the peacock cichlid (Cichla ocellaris). 1994 Re: Peacock in alt.aquaria (Usenet newsgroup) 15 June Peacock Cichlid is usually used to refer to the Aulonocara Types from Lake Malawi. 2001 (Nexis) 2 Aug. (Time Out section) 30 (caption) A colorful Peacock Cichlid at the Amazon exhibit. society > occupation and work > materials > fuel > coal or types of coal > [noun] the world > the earth > minerals > types of mineral > hydrocarbon minerals > [noun] > coal > other types of coal 1686 R. Plot iii. 126 The Peacock-coal..is much softer than the Cannel,..most vividly representing all the colours of the most glorious feathers in a Peacoks trayne. 1811 J. Pinkerton I. 580 In the peacock coal of Wales or Somersetshire, this iridescence often assumes a strong resemblance of what are called the eyes in a peacock's tail. 2002 (Nexis) 21 July d1 Like miners marveling at the refracted history they've recovered in a piece of peacock coal, [etc.]. the world > the earth > minerals > ore > [noun] > metal ore > copper ore > types of the world > the earth > minerals > types of mineral > sulphides and related minerals > [noun] > sphalenite group > copper iron sulphide 1858 R. P. Greg & W. G. Lettsom 340 At Great Crinnis, St. Austell, in the neighbourhood of which town the mines produce the finest iridescent massive variety [of chalcopyrite], known as peacock copper. 1897 4 Sept. 1/6 The Michigan claim on Toad mountain is showing up well, some very fine grey copper and peacock copper having been encountered. 1998 (Nexis) 22 Oct. b1 We were standing at the former Shoshone Mine, where peacock copper (so-called because of its blue and green sheen) was mined until 1900. the world > animals > birds > order Galliformes (fowls) > family Phasianidae (pheasants, etc.) > [noun] > paro cristatus (peafowl) > parts of > spots on feathers 1890 at Peacock Peacock-eye marble, an Italian marble of mingled white, blue, and red color. 1893 3 June 731 Ornaments..on the train of the peacock,..best described as the ‘peacock-eye’. 1901 M. C. Dickerson i. 83 There are two large peacock-eye spots on each posterior wing near its hind margin. 2002 (Nexis) 17 Mar. 61 A shallow dish, with a crossed peacock eye and a rayed center. the world > matter > gas > air > fresh air > [noun] > supplying fresh air or ventilation > fan > hand-held or portable > other types of 1853 W. M. Thackeray 11 Mar. (1946) III. 236 At most of the tables there are a couple of these pretty little imps with great peacock-fans brushing the flies away. 1923 43 407 The picture represents an emaciated male figure seated on the terrace of a palace with one female attendant with a peacock fan, behind him, and a male visitor before him. 1992 20 Jan. 8/2 Perhaps the crowd's King's Road-circa-1977 demeanor—peacock-fan Mohawks, pierced body parts that would make a savage cringe—gave the young woman pause. 1884 W. Miller 104/1 Peacock Flower-fence, Adenanthera pavonina. 1956 (Royal Hort. Soc.) (ed. 2) I. 38/1 A. pavonina, Peacock Flower Fence. Red Sandalwood Tree. the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fishing-tackle > means of attracting fish > [noun] > artificial fly > types of 1676 C. Cotton vii. 325 There is also..the Peacock-fly: the body made of the whirl of a peacock's feather. 1799 tr. (ed. 6) II. x. 300 Willow-cricket, or small peacock fly. 1895 G. M. Kelson 194 The Peacock Fly... An old standard on the Lochy and Spean. 1929 1 Feb. 15/5 Others may dream of..the ice-fringed rivers of Sutherland, or the Beauly, where they hurl a peacock-fly as big as a bird. 1998 (Nexis) 30 Oct. 9 d There were no commercial peacock flies, so I had to make mine up... Small, with bright colors and a lot of flashy material. 1844 J. W. Loudon II. 29 The Peacock Gazania..only expands its flowers in broad daylight. the world > matter > colour > named colours > green or greenness > [noun] > shade or tint of green > bluish green 1876 5 Feb. 179/1 He may cast his eyes upward during a Caudle lecture, and be immeasurably appeased by a peacock-green paper, with an appropriate dado. 1912 A. 86 612 The patch, up to now uniform, begins to become mottled, the red gives way to a beautiful pattern of peacock green, steel blue and bronze yellow. 1995 D. Carey & J. I. Kirkland iii. xxiv. 241 The water swirled, peacock green with algae, its surface dyed and oily with natural ejecta. 1799 tr. (ed. 6) II. x. 295 Gold, silver, and peacock hackle.] 1904 at Peacock sb. Peacock-fly, -hackle. 1994 Re: Wet flies, are they still in use in rec.outdoors.fishing.fly (Usenet newsgroup) 21 May The grizzly peacock hackle is a bit stiffer than most ‘traditional’ wets but it's not a surface fly. 1998 Third Annual Great White Shark Flyfishing Tournament in rec.outdoors.fishing.fly (Usenet newsgroup) 31 Mar. His catch, a 952-pounder, was taken on a No. 14 Midge fly, with some slight peacock hackle added to provide extra sparkle. 1890 Peacock-hatter, in the middle ages, a plumist or milliner. 1866 J. Lindley & T. Moore II. 627/2 Peacock iris, Vieussexia. 1958 317 [Moraea] pavonia (syn. Iris pavonia), ‘Peacock Iris’, red and blue-black, 1 to 2 ft., S. Africa. 1999 (Nexis) 10 Sept. 10 Outside the back door a purple flower preens itself. ‘That's a peacock iris’, says Owen of the glorious specimen. 1904 at Peacock sb. Peacock-moth. 1908 R. South 2nd Ser. 287 The Peacock Moth. 1949 E. W. Teale in viii. 68 The Great Peacock Moth, of whose caterpillar Fabre here writes, is Saturnia pyri (Schiff). It is related to the largest and showiest of American moths. 1958 W. J. Stokoe (rev. ed.) II. 184 The Peacock Moth... This very local and uncommon species is on the wing in May and June, and again in July and August. 2000 (Nexis) 28 Apr. 9 A giant Peacock moth, the size of a sparrow, that had the misfortune to become trapped by its proboscis under the wheel of a Spanish bus. the world > matter > colour > variegation > patch of colour > [noun] > mottle > arrangement or appearance 1924 G. O. Wheeler (ed. 3) xii. 278 Another variety [of mottle in mahogany] was once termed peacock mottle from its supposed resemblance to the tail of that bird. 1968 Aug. 24/2 Honeycomb or peacock mottle. This is a variety of figure remarkable for its fine appearance; it is associated almost entirely with the mahoganies. the world > the earth > minerals > ore > [noun] > metal ore > copper ore > types of the world > the earth > minerals > types of mineral > sulphides and related minerals > [noun] > sphalenite group > copper iron sulphide 1858 3 Dec. 37/2 Specimens lent by..Mr. W. Rowley, malachite and peacock ore. 1911 Nov. 487 The ore is principally bornite—peacock-ore as it is often called on account of its beautiful iridescent colouring. 1992 Feb. 5/1 (advt.) Peacock ore: very colorful $3.50/lb. the world > animals > birds > order Galliformes (fowls) > family Phasianidae (pheasants, etc.) > [noun] > member of genus Polyplectron (peacock-pheasant) 1769 C. Powys (1899) It contains..what is reckon'd exceedingly curious, the peacock-pheasant. 1871 C. Darwin ii. xiv. 137 The species and sub-species of Polyplectron..so far resemble this bird [peacock] that they are sometimes called peacock-pheasants. 1922 C. W. Beebe IV. 55 Peacock pheasants..are birds of the lowland forests. 1992 (BNC) 5 In aviaries and enclosures are Kookaburras,..Peacock Pheasants, [etc.]. 1596 T. Nashe sig. S4v His peacocke-pluming her like another Pandora,..through his incredible praising of her. society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > gem or precious stone > other gems or precious stones > [noun] society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > gem or precious stone > rock crystal > [noun] > chalcedony > agate > varieties of the world > the earth > minerals > types of mineral > silicates > tectosilicate > [noun] > quartz > cryptocrystalline quartz > chalcedony > agate > varieties 1753 Suppl. Pavonius-lapis, the peacock-stone, a name given by Ludovicus Dulcis... Probably it was one of the variegated agates. 1833 I. 467/1 The cartilages of some large shells..are sold by the jewellers under the name of Peacock-stone, or black opals. 2002 (Nexis) 4 Aug. 3 f The actual stone is called peacock stone because of the incredible variety of colors in each piece. society > authority > office > symbol of office or authority > regalia > [noun] > throne > specific 1742 J. Fraser 220 The Particulars of what Nadir Shah carried away with him:..Utensils and Handles of Weapons set with Jewels, with the Peacock Throne, and nine others set with precious Stones. 1813 J. Forbes III. xxix. 84 The most superb article of this imperial spoil was the Tucht-Taoos, or peacock-throne, in which the expanded tail of the peacock, in its natural size, was imitated in jewellery. 1977 10 Mar. 316/1 The..success of Reza Pahlevi..in seizing the tottering Peacock Throne and imposing stability of a sort on what remained of the empire of Darius and Cyrus the Great. 1992 D. Pinckney ix. 231 Feminists in chador or in the attire of the Peacock Throne's generals..raised the symbols of another misread revolution. 1888 Tigridia, Mexican Tiger Flower; Tiger Iris. his genus includes about seven species of..bulbous plants, from Mexico, Central America, Peru, and Chili... T. pavonia..Flower of Tigris; Peacock Tiger Flower. 1956 (Royal Hort. Soc.) (ed. 2) IV. 2114/1 T[igridia] pavonia, Flower of Tigris, Peacock Tiger Flower, Mexican Tiger Flower. 1998 (Nexis) 15 Feb. 37 Tigridia pavonia, the Tiger Flower or Peacock Tiger Flower, is a brilliantly coloured beauty of the iris family from sandy areas and grasslands in Latin America. 1884 W. Miller 138/2 [Treasure-flower], Pea-cock, Gazania Pavonia. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022). peacockv. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: peacock n. the mind > emotion > pride > ostentation > make ostentatious display [verb (reflexive)] the mind > emotion > pride > self-esteem > vanity > make vain [verb (transitive)] a1586 Sir P. Sidney (1590) i. xv. sig. K3 A desire onely to please, and as it were, peacock themselues. 1834 M. Edgeworth I. xiv. 301 Pavoneggiarsi!—untranslateable. One cannot say well in English, to peacock oneself. 1872 Ld. Tennyson 45 He was tame and meek enow with me, Till peacock'd up with Lancelot's noticing. 1883 E. Lynn Linton xviii He ‘peacocked himself’ not a little on the deftness of his manipulation. 1945 W. de la Mare 16 He had been peacocked up in many a fine new suit of old clothes since then. 2003 (Nexis) 4 Apr. e3 Stu's great sin is..playing PR games with the truth and peacocking his boyish ego. the mind > emotion > pride > ostentation > make ostentatious display or show off [verb (intransitive)] 1654 3 Therefore Ile nothing else set on their Misery-score But up to some strange Stars again Ile fly And Peacock it with feather'd Gallantry. 1818 J. Keats Lett. in (1889) III. 112 Every man has his speculations, but every man does not brood and peacock over them till he makes a false coinage and deceives himself. 1826 W. Scott in 33 310 How a modern drawingroom would look if filled with courtiers peacocking it about in long sweeping trains. 1867 J. Ruskin xvii You working men have been crowing and peacocking at such a rate lately. 1878 H. A. Giles 103 Peacock, to, slang term for ‘calling on ladies’..as implying a more elegant costume than usual. Brought to China from India, where it is much used. 1929 H. A. Vachell ii. 40 She ‘peacocked’ across to the speaker, carrying her pert head at a high angle. 1951 ‘J. Tey’ xvii. 208 He was now yearning for Marta to drop in so that he could peacock in front of her in his new-found manhood. 1990 13 Oct. p. ix/2 I watched..people of all ages peacocking along in scraps of fabric that are no more than cords and pulleys. society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > [verb (transitive)] > plan or develop > types of planning or development 1892 17 Apr. 2/1 ‘Peacocked’ in the most scientific manner all over the vast holding, literally ‘picking the eyes out’ of this fine country. 1898 E. E. Morris 344/2 To peacock a piece of country means to pick out the eyes of the land by selecting or buying up the choice pieces and water-frontages, so that the adjoining territory is practically useless to any one else. 1928 ‘Brent of Bin Bin’ xxi. 347 They had been able to ‘peacock’ their runs and safeguard their holdings. 1972 H. M. Anderson & L. J. Blake 12 As early as 1872 he had successfully peacocked the land north-east and north-west of the lake in Minimey parish. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022). <  n.adj.c1175 v.a1586 |
