co cked ha t (cocked hats )
1 N‑COUNT A cocked hat is a hat with three corners that used to be worn with some uniforms.
2 PHRASE If you say that one thing knocks another thing into a cocked hat , you mean that it is much better or much more significant than the other thing. □ This design knocks everything else into a cocked hat.
cock|er|el /kɒ kərəl/ (cockerels ) N‑COUNT A cockerel is a young male chicken. [mainly BRIT ]
cock|er span|iel /kɒ kə r spæ njəl/ (cocker spaniels ) N‑COUNT A cocker spaniel is a breed of small dog with silky hair and long ears.
cock|eyed /kɒ ka I d, [AM ] -a I d/ also cock-eyed
1 ADJ If you say that an idea or scheme is cockeyed , you mean that you think it is very unlikely to succeed. □ She has some cockeyed delusions about becoming a pop star.
2 ADJ If something is cockeyed , it looks wrong because it is not in a level or straight position. □ …dusty photographs hanging at cockeyed angles on the walls.
cock|le /kɒ k ə l/ (cockles ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Cockles are small edible shellfish.
cock|ney /kɒ kni/ (cockneys )
1 N‑COUNT [oft N n] A cockney is a person who was born in the East End of London. □ …a Cockney cab driver.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Cockney is the dialect and accent of the East End of London. □ The man spoke with a Cockney accent.
cock|pit /kɒ kp I t/ (cockpits ) N‑COUNT In an aeroplane or racing car, the cockpit is the part where the pilot or driver sits.
cock|roach /kɒ kroʊtʃ/ (cockroaches ) N‑COUNT A cockroach is a large brown insect that is sometimes found in warm places or where food is kept.
cock|sure /kɒ kʃʊə r / ADJ Someone who is cocksure is so confident and sure of their abilities that they annoy other people. [OLD-FASHIONED , DISAPPROVAL ]
cock|tail /kɒ kte I l/ (cocktails )
1 N‑COUNT A cocktail is an alcoholic drink which contains several ingredients. □ On arrival, guests are offered wine or a champagne cocktail.
2 N‑COUNT A cocktail is a mixture of a number of different things, especially ones that do not go together well. □ [+ of ] The court was told she had taken a cocktail of drugs and alcohol.
3 → see also fruit cocktail , Molotov cocktail , prawn cocktail
co ck|tail dress (cocktail dresses ) N‑COUNT A cocktail dress is a dress that is suitable for formal social occasions.
co ck|tail lounge (cocktail lounges ) N‑COUNT A cocktail lounge is a room in a hotel, restaurant, or club where you can buy alcoholic drinks. □ Let's meet in the cocktail lounge at the Hilton.
co ck|tail par|ty (cocktail parties ) N‑COUNT A cocktail party is a party, usually held in the early evening, where cocktails or other alcoholic drinks are served. People often dress quite formally for them.
co ck-up (cock-ups ) N‑COUNT If you make a cock-up of something, you ruin it by doing something wrong. [BRIT , INFORMAL , RUDE ] □ [+ of ] He was in danger of making a real cock-up of this.
cocky /kɒ ki/ (cockier , cockiest ) ADJ Someone who is cocky is so confident and sure of their abilities that they annoy other people. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ He was a little bit cocky when he was about 11 because he was winning everything.
co|coa /koʊ koʊ/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Cocoa is a brown powder made from the seeds of a tropical tree. It is used in making chocolate. □ The Ivory Coast became the world's leading cocoa producer. □ …cocoa beans.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Cocoa is a hot drink made from cocoa powder and milk or water.
coco|nut /koʊ kənʌt/ (coconuts )
1 N‑COUNT A coconut is a very large nut with a hairy shell, which has white flesh and milky juice inside it. □ …the smell of roasted meats mingled with spices, coconut oil and ripe tropical fruits.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Coconut is the white flesh of a coconut. □ …desiccated coconut.
co co|nut milk N‑UNCOUNT Coconut milk is the milky juice inside coconuts.
co co|nut palm (coconut palms ) N‑COUNT A coconut palm is a tall tree on which coconuts grow.
co|coon /kəkuː n/ (cocoons , cocooning , cocooned )
1 N‑COUNT A cocoon is a covering of silky threads that the larvae of moths and other insects make for themselves before they grow into adults.
2 N‑COUNT If you are in a cocoon of something, you are wrapped up in it or surrounded by it. □ [+ of ] He stood there in a cocoon of golden light.
3 N‑COUNT If you are living in a cocoon , you are in an environment in which you feel protected and safe, and sometimes isolated from everyday life. □ You cannot live in a cocoon and overlook these facts.
4 VERB If something cocoons you from something, it protects you or isolates you from it. □ [V n + from ] There is nowhere to hide when things go wrong, no organisation to cocoon you from blame. □ [V pron-refl + in ] The playwright cocooned himself in a world of pretence. [Also V n + in ]
co|cooned /kəkuː nd/
1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If someone is cocooned in blankets or clothes, they are completely wrapped in them. □ [+ in ] She is comfortably cocooned in pillows. □ …my snugly-cocooned baby sleeping in his pram.