cobra1
/ˈkəʊbrə
/ /ˈkɒbrə /noun
1A highly venomous African or Asian snake that spreads the skin of its neck into a hood when disturbed.
- Naja and two other genera, family Elapidae: several species, in particular the spectacled cobra.
- The snake charmers, in return for a small fee, rescue species like cobras and rat snakes that show up in people's homes and release them in forests.
- While human encounters with cobras, vipers, and pythons can prove fatal, more often than not it is the snakes that are killed.
2 (also cobra pose) A yoga pose assumed by lying on one’s stomach and raising one’s upper body so as to curve it backwards, using one’s arms and hands for support: as you do the cobra, make sure you are not overextending the lower back...
- Another therapeutic stretch is the cobra pose, a fundamental yoga stretch.
- Avoid traditional belly poses, such as the cobra pose, that require you to place weight on your midsection.
- They spend an hour clearing their minds with cleansing breaths and strengthening their bodies with bridge and cobra poses.
Origin
Mid 17th century: from Portuguese cobra de capello, literally 'snake with hood', based on Latin colubra 'snake'.
COBRA2
/ˈkəʊbrə/ /ˈkɒbrə /(also COBR)
noun [often as modifier]
(In the UK) a government committee, typically chaired by the prime minister or a senior minister, that is specially convened as a result of a major emergency in order to coordinate the response of the various government departments and agencies responsible for handling the situation: another meeting of the emergency COBRA committee will be held today to discuss how to tackle the floods a COBRA meeting
Origin
from the initial letters of Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms, the place in Whitehall where the committees meet, with COBRA standing specifically for Cabinet Office Briefing Room A.