Wednesday 4 October 2006

Cock up!


Tonight I have mostly been drinking wine at the Summertown Wine Cafe with Kate.

Picture is of Josef being himself...

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A conversation at work led to a discussion of the origin of the phrase "cock-up" as in to "mess-up" or make a mistake. The initial assumption was that it was kind of rude!

However some Googling led to this explanation which suggests that it is militaristic, from the meaning of the work "cock" to "tip/angle" as in to "cock a gun or hat".

This lead me to, somehow, find this Burn's poem which I thought was quite funny and apt:

Johnie Lad, Cock Up Your Beaver

When first my brave Johnie lad came to this town,
He had a blue bonnet that wanted the crown;
But now he has gotten a hat and a feather,
Hey, brave Johnie lad, cock up your beaver!

Cock up your beaver, and cock it fu' sprush,
We'll over the border, and gie them a brush;
There's somebody there we'll teach better behaviour,
Hey, brave Johnie lad, cock up your beaver!


A beaver is (apparently) a type of Scottish hat.


Singger snigger, guffaw guffaw!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I was also wondering about the phrase being rude after hearing a radio presenter using it at 7.30 am. I don't like it much as a phrase