cock-a-hoop
[kok-uh-hoop, -hoo p, kok-uh-hoop, -hoo p]
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adjective
in a state of unrestrained joy or exultation; boastfully elated: He was cock-a-hoop over his victory.
askew; out of kilter: He knocked his hat cock-a-hoop.
Origin of cock-a-hoop
First recorded in 1520–30; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for cock-a-hoop
Historical Examples of cock-a-hoop
And all cock-a-hoop, and no waiting for the mistress to come back.
A Son of HagarSir Hall Caine
Cock-a-hoop with your new commission, before the ink is dry.
Frank MildmayCaptain Frederick Marryat
All cock-a-hoop for it,” struck in Cattledon: “as the housemaids are.
Johnny Ludlow, Third SeriesMrs. Henry Wood
That is all there is of rebellion, treason, and sedition,—all the cock-a-hoop story!
Lewis RandMary Johnston
We were so impressed by his guileless face and cock-a-hoop assurance, that we had not the heart to turn him away.
Bunch GrassHorace Annesley Vachell
cock-a-hoop
adjective (usually postpositive)
Word Origin for cock-a-hoop
C16: perhaps from the phrase to set the cock a hoop to live prodigally, literally: to put a cock on a hoop, a full measure of grain
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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