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cockalorum

American  
[kok-uh-lawr-uhm, -lohr-] / ˌkɒk əˈlɔr əm, -ˈloʊr- /

noun

  1. a self-important little man.


cockalorum British  
/ ˌkɒkəˈlɔːrəm /

noun

  1. a self-important little man

  2. bragging talk; crowing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cockalorum

First recorded in 1705–15; pseudo-Latin, equivalent to cock + fanciful -al- + Latin genitive plural ending -ōrum; see cock 1


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

In the thunderous heyday of Prohibition gangsterism, Roger the Terrible was the jaunty cockalorum of northwest Cook County.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Daily Telegraph thought his cockalorum De Guiche in Cyrano de Bergerac "a remarkable feat."

From Time Magazine Archive

Dizzy Gillespie, the high cockalorum of bop, was getting top billing at the rival Strand Theater.

From Time Magazine Archive

Born with no great passion for "the high cockalorum of heroism," De Forest wrote frankly of the nuisance of being shot at, of the multiple woes of a company-grade officer's life.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Yes, marm, I'm the high cockalorum; we hev'n't got anything for you to-day, though."

From The Actress' Daughter A Novel by May Agnes Fleming

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