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Jan 31, 2007
This week's themeWords with hidden animals This week's words cynosure chatoyant coxcomb dragoon bulimia A Word A Day the book "Delightful." -The New York Times Buy A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Gargcoxcombcoxcomb (KOKS-kom) noun A conceited man excessively interested in his appearance and dress; a fop. [A variant of cock's comb (a rooster's crest).] Jesters in medieval courts wore a cap with red strips like those in a rooster's crest. From there the sense of the term extended to a vain, pretentious dandy. Today we would describe him as metrosexual.
"At this general assembly of coxcombs, fops and the world's greatest
dunces, Theobald, an unsuccessful writer, is crowned 'Chief of the
Dunces'." See more usage examples of coxcomb in Vocabulary.com's dictionary X-BonusMany are concerned about the monuments of the West and the East- to know who built them. For my part, I should like to know who in those days did not build them- who were above such trifling. -Henry David Thoreau, naturalist and author (1817-1862) |
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