Is the word 'cock' meaning 'an adult male chicken' commonly used in the UK? Or do you use 'cockerel' instead to avoid jokes and giggles?

Yeah, we had then in a flat I lived in above a chinese takeaway. I'm not saying it was the takeaways fault but I never ordered from them again after I started to see the bugs.

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Present_Program6554@reddit

I worked in a hospital that was infested with them.

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Rediscovered_Magpie@reddit

Every time we moved the PE mats there were at least 4 scuttling about.

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Lived in an e council flat given to students in Manchester in the 80s and I can confirm that cockroaches existed there then. So many and so big..... No way to resolve as flats were connected to each other and even if you killed all of yours then would re invest from another untreated flat.

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Automatic-Plan-9087@reddit

Worked for a company that had a container returned from abroad. It had been stood on the docks for a few months waiting on contractual wrangling.

When it was opened there was an avalanche of cockroaches the size of my hand. Twas interesting watching the local pest firm build a powder “dam” to contain them whilst a fully suited operative went in to spray them. Like something from a horror movie…yuck

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spinningdice@reddit

Yeah, I remember my grandma getting an infestation when I was a kid. Apparently they had to open up the sealed up chimney breast to clear them out, as that's where they were breeding.

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CrazyPlatypusLady@reddit

Yep. We have much smaller ones than elsewhere, but they definitely exist here. I'm more scared of what causes them to appear and colonise than I am of the insects though. I've only seen natives a couple of times in my life.

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Quiet_Pin@reddit

Then you've led a sheltered life.

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Never_trust_dolphins@reddit

Or, I just don't live in filth...

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Lord_Cockatrice@reddit

Also cocking a gun before discharge

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E420CDI@reddit

'Tis the usual procedure!

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WonFriendsWithSalad@reddit

Also titbit (not "tidbit")

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thereidenator@reddit

I’ve never heard the term weathercock

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Revolutionary-Key650@reddit

Yorkshire speak: "what's the weather forecast for tomorrow cock Any idea?".

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thereidenator@reddit

Yeh I’m obviously familiar with “what’s the weather cock” but not “look at that weathercock”

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vicarofsorrows@reddit

You must be young, then.

Years ago, “haystacks” were “haycocks”, too!

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thereidenator@reddit

I’m 40, yeh I’ve never heard of a haycock either

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Mtshtg2@reddit

Yeah it's a weathervane for me

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Ruby-Shark@reddit

Nglwe don't have much cause to discuss cockerels in day to day life.

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AppropriateDeal1034@reddit

Wait until OP hears about name of the 7th planet...

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Fufferstothemoon@reddit

Let’s not tell him about the nursery rhyme where you have to ride a cock-horse…!

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AppropriateDeal1034@reddit

Better than a horse cock!

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DiscussionOk1098@reddit

Woah woah! Save that for your Onlyfans 😂

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esoteric_sensei@reddit

Cock can come up quite a bit however

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nemetonomega@reddit

Especially if you have a water leak and need to find the stop cock

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Low-Summer-304@reddit

Renaming it the stop cockerel in my house now 😂

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DiscussionOk1098@reddit

Where is that damn stop cockerel!

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MindComfortable6216@reddit

I used to call it the cock stop for years, even now I have to pause and think before I speak to not to get it wrong lol

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Present_Program6554@reddit

Stop cock isn't wrong

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Acrobatic-Ad584@reddit

check your caulk is sound

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PlasticCheebus@reddit

My cork?

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Acrobatic-Ad584@reddit

No your sealing caulk if you have a leak

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PlasticCheebus@reddit

Oh. That dpesn't even sound close to cock though.

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Acrobatic-Ad584@reddit

the builders I know don't sound the "l", you had to be there!

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Strange_Ad854@reddit

When my son moved to his own flat he called me because he had no water. I asked him if he knew where his stop cock was and I swear he blue screened for a minute before asking 'my what?'

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Ruby-Shark@reddit

Ooh matron.

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Flaky-You9517@reddit

Me, the 13th Duke of Wybourne? Here? In a student-nurses hall of residence? At three o'clock in the morning? With my reputation? Has no-one thought of the consequences? Oh well.

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Foreskin_Ad9356@reddit

whats this from?

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Plastic_Library649@reddit

Fast Show.

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Goldf_sh4@reddit

We don't see enough random Fast Show quotes on reddit.

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Yachting-Mishaps@reddit

"I was just saying this, wasn't I, Roy? What did I say?"

"She said we don't see enough random Fast Show quotes on Reddit."

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trobopoline@reddit

She said she could shit through the eye of a needle 🤣

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Mommagrumps@reddit

You ain't seen me....right!?

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Past-Obligation1930@reddit

THEY’RE BRILLIAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNT

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Past-Obligation1930@reddit

But of course, I was very, very drunk.

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paintbinombers@reddit

Cairooooo…. squeeeeaaaalll

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ButteryGirl56@reddit

If that tickled a nineties memory all right!

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Thurmicneo@reddit

There's an old reference that I had forgotten...

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Plastic_Library649@reddit

GAWD ME NUTS, VICAR, YOU'VE SPLIT THE PACKET!!!

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NewSpell9343@reddit

🤣 this is such a good answer

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xplorerex@reddit

I show people my cock in my garden all the time.

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_scorp_@reddit

I'm not sure that's true, sound like a bit of a cock up.

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SlickAstley_@reddit

When Grandma says she was "awoken by the cock".

Then you remember Grandpa's dead

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HugsandHate@reddit

Or would you lie?

Don't like talking about cocks?

^(Suspicious.)

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Sean_13@reddit

As a rule this is usually the case for me. Except coincidentally it literally came up last week though I did choose to use cockerel instead.

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NewSpell9343@reddit

There is a nursery rhyme that starts "Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross to see a fine lady upon a white horse". My husband used to cringe so much when I used to sing it to our toddlers. It was basically: "Will you stop singing about our kids riding cock." But he didn't say that.

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limakilo87@reddit

If I walked into a room and said 'Look at this giant cock', nobody would be looking for a bird.

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oah9449@reddit

A friend once thought it a good idea to buy a T-shirt with a picture of a cockerel on it with the words ‘magnificent cock’ written below. It was a hideous t shirt but surprisingly it worked as he pulled that night….

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Safe-Professional556@reddit

Farming area and we kept chickens for quite a while. Cock is a male bird. Or male member... Depending on context mostly. Not many people openly talk about having sex with chickens so the context is normally pretty obvious.

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Gibbington9@reddit

You can't go around calling anything a cock except a penis, your close friend or someone you don't like.

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codechris@reddit

Avoid jokes and giggles? My friend we actively seek out jokes and giggles

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thesilenceofthepeas@reddit

In the Manchester area it’s also used as a term of endearment or welcome. ‘Hey up Cock, how you doing?’

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Happy_Attitude_8627@reddit

'Shits and giggles' thank you very much

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chease86@reddit

It depends who your talking to, my dad used to keep/ breed birds (stopped back when bird flu first hit because selling became so difficult) and he and his bird keeping friends still call all male birds cocks, outside of people who keep birds though usually I hear rooster more commonly than cock or cockerell.

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atomicshrimp@reddit

Cock is any male bird, so cockerel isn't really a substitute in most cases. If you're talking about birds everyone will know what you mean when you say cock. Some people will smirk about the double meanjng. This is normal and unavoidable.

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no-user-names-@reddit

Serious chicken keepers will use cock, in the same way that serious birders will use tit, and not think twice about it.

Everyone else will pick their words depending on their audience and the reaction they want.

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Fantastic_Double_819@reddit

Cock and bull story

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cabaretcabaret@reddit

I hope we do, otherwise what was in that soup I just had for lunch?

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Sad_Hall_7289@reddit

Cockrel for sure.

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TurkishSte@reddit

“To avoid jokes”? Have you ever met a Brit

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SquiffSquiff@reddit

Cockerel is specifically a male chicken. Other birds would be referred to as hen and cock, eg. Pheasant.

Something that I think would probably be the same in the US would be 'dog' and 'bitch' for a male and female dog

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Martinonfire@reddit

…..I don’t live to far from here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitchfield

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Robbylution@reddit

There’s a Cockfield near Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk!

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Either_Sense_4387@reddit

Cockermouth up in the Lakes!! 😂

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PeacefulIntentions@reddit

Cockfosters in London at the end of the Piccadilly line

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Either_Sense_4387@reddit

There's a Pratt's Bottom relatively near me, too, but that's for a different thread! 😂

I'll just go with Cockburn the estate agents 😂

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Valuable-Fork-2211@reddit

My sister had to visit Willey a few years back, she said it wasn't as big as she expected. All the signs on the A5 are massive so to discover it was smaller than advertised left her a bit underwhelmed, she did come home with some impressive sheep though.

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Either_Sense_4387@reddit

Amazing!!! 😂😂😂😂 Definitely feels like a case of false advertising!!

The first time I saw a sign to Clitheroe I thought it was pronounced "clit hero" - can confirm, if this had been the correct pronunciation, it is also a misleading name! 😂

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QuietVisit2042@reddit

I grew up in Penistone ( S Yorks)

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Rickietee10@reddit

Pea-cock, and the female pea-hen.

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Rare-Bumblebee-1803@reddit

Peacock and peahen

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stealthykins@reddit

Cockerel is specifically a young male chicken. Cock is the adult.

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2020havoc@reddit

I just use rooster to avoid the whole thing

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Physical_Heart2766@reddit

The word used is rooster. Generally unless you're making a joke about penises, you don't use cock, and cockerel died in usage about the same time as "zounds" and "shan't"...for much the same reason.

If someone says cock, it's a badly concealed penis joke, 99.9% of the time or someone incredibly upper class making the same sly joke or lived and incredibly sheltered life.

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Humble_Molasses9711@reddit

I think you will soon come to understand that, unlike the US, we in the UK can both handle the word maturely and enjoy the innuendo without getting our knickers in a twist.

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PM_ME_UR_MANICURE@reddit

This reminds me of a time when I was in Russia and the kids school books all said the word "cock" for chicken, and I was thinking "oh no this is really bad" but also it was kind of funny. I wonder why they are so wrong. I don't think this word has ever been used for chicken, except maybe in really old times? Or certain regions maybe? But I've always known it as rooster for male and hen for female. It's like saying "pussy" for cat and "bitch" for female dog, no one actually uses those words unironically/seriously for those things ever. I see your username says ksusha so I guess you're from Russia too, and you've seen the same books I'm talking about. Honestly I've read through those books and they're so terribly wrong in so many ways, and you're forced to use them for school so you can't avoid them. Whoever made those books has no idea about English language and I would recommend avoiding them as much as you can. Because overall about 60% of the information is correct and the other 40% is horribly incorrect, and it's a really bad foundation to learn from. If you really want to learn English, avoid resources which are from Russia altogether because they have no idea what they are talking about... Except one guy called полиглот Дмитрий петров his lessons are actually really good if you can find his videos he 100% perfectly explains everything correctly, venya pak is also good, and Virginia beowulf. These are good channels on YouTube. Don't trust anyone else lol

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IntrepidMaybe8579@reddit

Most of the uk is completely detached from farming or animals like that, were too built up

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Separate-Region2070@reddit

Maybe but calling some a "cock" would imply they're an overly self important. As if Cockeral or Cock pheasant trying to impressive.

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MiserableSympathy230@reddit

As me or a worm?

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BoominMoomin@reddit

I mean, it's pretty much mandatory in the UK that if you somehow do stumble across or see a cockerel in any form, the only acceptable thing to then say is "nice cock".

Hope this helps

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AndrewHinds67@reddit

It can be used as a term of endearment in some areas. I'm thinking of the midlands. I'm reminded of the old Jasper Carrott joke which ends with the punchline "'ave yer got the time on yer cock?!".

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MarsStar2301@reddit

Apparently I can’t post pictures here, so I will unfortunately not be able to share my photo of a packet of cock soup priced at 69p…!

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Nice-Pomegranate2915@reddit

No a cock is a cock . It's a male chicken and a human genital organ . Both a used in regular speech . It's the context of the conversation that identifies the words context . And jokes , giggles and embarrassment are an encouraged part of English insular speech - along with sarcasm and irony. Which American English speakers have problems perceiving . So simples ,yeah ?

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craigsaz2011@reddit

Cock soup 🐔

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Andromidius@reddit

Depends how spicey someone is being really. Both are acceptable, but saying Cock might get a giggle.

We also say Bitch for a female dog, with similar potential.

Its all about the context and company you're keeping.

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xplorerex@reddit

Its a male salmon you cock.

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DeniseGunn@reddit

Generally we use cock to refer to the male appendage. We don’t really talk thst much about chickens but we’d probably say cockerel.

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RiC_David@reddit

Cockerel. Apparently some people say rooster, I've always thought of that as an Americanism, but no - people generally don't say cock as in the bird.

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Existing_Ad_5811@reddit

When talking about birds, male chickens are always almost always cockerels. When referring to some other varieties of birds we would also use the name of that bird as well as the word cock, for instance, cock pheasant and hen pheasant, peacock and peahen but mostly we would say male or female followed by the type of birds.

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MercuryJellyfish@reddit

Most people would avoid using cockerel, because we enjoy innuendo too much.

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ElectricalPick9813@reddit

I like to slip one in, if I can.

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Past-Obligation1930@reddit

My mum always enjoyed a massive cock at Christmas.

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Independent-End3455@reddit

In YOUR endo

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Rickietee10@reddit

In your endo?

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MerlinOfRed@reddit

Not all the time though, surely? Usually it's just a quickie and it has to be with the right person.

Like I obviously wouldn't do it with my mum, but my best mate enjoys a good one as much as I do.

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Typical-Newspaper409@reddit

I bet your mum would probably appreciate it still

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MerlinOfRed@reddit

I'm not sure, to be honest. Occasionally my dad will slip one in at the dinner table and my mum really is not impressed.

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Goldf_sh4@reddit

We just... try to avoid duscussing make chickens. Hens we cab discuss.

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mangonel@reddit

IMO, apple and chicken is a poor flavour combination, but I tolerate it because my wife loves cock in cider.

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No-Medicine1230@reddit

Couldn't you dip your member in a pint of strongbow dark fruits for her?

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Mondays-fundays@reddit

I once had a conversation with a rather po faced older woman at a quite formal function. She was a keen keeper of chickens and used the phrase " I had a magnificent black cock in my garden this morning".

I almost ruptured my spleen trying not to laugh

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mycockstinks@reddit

I had a nice pair of tits myself

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Past-Obligation1930@reddit

The tits frequently take my milk in the morning.

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Oghamstoner@reddit

Whatever gets you up in the morning ;)

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Mighty_Buzzard@reddit

I’d have responded to the old lady “You lucky devil!”

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squamouser@reddit

My mother in law talks about a “monstrous cock” weather vane a friend of hers has.

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wasdice@reddit

She knew exactly what she was doing

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MerlinOfRed@reddit

Reminds me of my DofE instructor on our training day. 20 years later I still remember what he said word-for-word whilst pointing at our tent.

"Look at the saggy back side here! You need to learn to peg the back side properly if you want it to he tight, and you want it to be tight because how else will all fit inside?"

We were a group of teenage boys and it absolutely was deliberate. I have no idea how he kept a straight face, but we were in hysterics.

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Past-Obligation1930@reddit

Heh cock.

There’s a Caribbean product called cock soup, which makes me laugh a lot.

Most frequently used in my house when watching the French rugby team - what a bunch of cocks, what a massive cock, etc.

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Trilobite_Tom@reddit

Next door have a massive cock in their garden.

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Goldf_sh4@reddit

I bet they do.

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ratticusdominicus@reddit

It’s awkward when your prize bird goes into the outhouse and you have to warn your family - “The massive cock is in the shitter”

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Many-Consideration54@reddit

It's even more awkward when you pick one up randomly and you don't know who's cock you're holding.

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Goldf_sh4@reddit

It's even more award when you've never owned a bird.

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WumbleInTheJungle@reddit

Yes, happens often, and then they say "but.. you're right in front of me" 😔

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djjudas21@reddit

It comes down to context, but yes you can say cock to mean a male chicken. There’s a road near me called Cock Road and at Easter we hear the bible reading where the cock crows as Jesus is betrayed.

If you say “I have a massive cock” then nobody will be thinking about chickens 🍆

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Goldf_sh4@reddit

It's kind of like how most old English cities have a "Butts Road".

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KatVanWall@reddit

Reminds me of the time a mutual friend walked around the corner just as a friend was saying to me 'My boyfriend has an absolutely massive one!' New arrival absolutely wets himself laughing, while we try in vain to explain that we were talking about bonsai trees, which was true but sounds incredibly unlikely, especially as their predominant characteristic is being small!

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Sad-Grade6972@reddit

There's a large, five toed chicken, which is native to Dorking in Surrey and known as a Dorking Cock. This is celebrated by a steel, cockerel sculpture on the edge of the town.

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Goldf_sh4@reddit

If we really want to avoid knob innuendo we use "rooster".

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dgreen1415@reddit

If it ever came up in conversation, most people would call it a rooster

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Sparquin81@reddit

Only in the phrase, "cock and bull story"

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Designer_Government4@reddit

Unless you’re from South Yorkshire where you’ll hear people greeting each other with ‘alright cock’ or ‘ey up cocker’.

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thricedice88@reddit

We call them roosters, my mum and dad had one when I was a kid, the indomitable Malcolm.

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ChronicleFlask@reddit

Brits aren’t weird about words like Americans. It’s one of those “separated by a common language” things. Brits will say cock precisely because it has another meaning. If there’s a way to include some innuendo, it’s satisfying to slip it in.

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LucyThought@reddit

Inyourendo

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Nudie-64@reddit

Bird keepers and breeders regularly refer to cocks and hens when referring to any domestic birds, and no one giggles.

I once saw the cover of a bird magazine with the headline "teenager shows his prizewinning red cock!"

Apparently without any trace of irony.

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Doogle300@reddit

I feel like anyone who might be required to talk about such topics, would purposefully use the word cock intentionally, in the hopes of jokes and giggles.

Innuendo is in our blood.

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KeyWeek7416@reddit

There is a console called the Wii and a video game character called Solid Snake. And I don't bad an eye anymore at either.

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StormofSteelWargames@reddit

As part of my job, I sit in conservation group meetings and one of the other attendees are the grouse shooters who regularly talk about cocks.

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lunaliquorice@reddit

A lot of us use 'rooster' because cock refers to a male appendage

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Great_Chipmunk4357@reddit

Australians also use “rooster.”

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super_sammie@reddit

I think the word is generally avoided but if we had to name that animal that screams as soon as the sun is up we would use cockerel.

Honourable mention for cock flavoured soup

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Icame2dropbombs@reddit

Your mums favourite soup 🤣

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E420CDI@reddit

broken arms

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Mammyjam@reddit

I make a cracking cock pie tbh. It's cottage pie but with chicken in a cheesy bechamel sauce

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E420CDI@reddit

Cock with a creamy sauce coating it, you say?

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Interesting_Desk_542@reddit

What you've put in your pie,

Friendly redditor guy,

that's a mornay

(With added chicken)

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Acrobatic-Ad584@reddit

sounds nice, cock pie.

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Traveller-28907@reddit

Is that animal not called “the wife”?

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On-Mute@reddit

May I also draw your attention tocock paste.

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Brocc013@reddit

There's a pub in the village next to where I grew up called the Game Cock Inn. You could always tell if someone was from that village they had such precise diction.

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Jigglypuffs_quiff@reddit

Not only avoided....I got banned for 30 days on Facebook for using the word correctly on a budgie page

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St3lla_0nR3dd1t@reddit

cock-a-leekie

(Chicken and Leek)

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RaveyDave666@reddit

‘Up with the cock’ is a bit comical aswel 😝

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r_mutt69@reddit

lol. The first thing I thought of when I read the title was cock soup. It’s pretty good stuff but always raises an eyebrow when mentioned

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Lord_Cockatrice@reddit

Yeah, cock soup from Grace

Always a hit at your cornershops

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Hephaestus1816@reddit

Can we get another one for Jasper Carrot's performance concerning a fine upstanding Bantam cock-erel! I learnt it word for word when I was a kid from a Jake Thackray vinyl album my parents had. I liked to recite it from time to time. It wasn't always well received lol I was delighted when I found Carrot's version. It's on YT. Still makes me guffaw.

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Careless-Cooker@reddit

Beat me to it hahaha

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TruePineapple6@reddit

I used to go to a pub called "The Cock" on Kilburn High Street many years ago.

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Secure-Career-2016@reddit

Neither, I use man chicken.

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CoachSevere5365@reddit

There's an old pub called The Upper Cock Inn near where I grew up. In my father's day there was another, called The Lower Cock. I'm pretty sure the names referred to nearby water spouts. The Upper Cock Inn is known for miles around as "the Cocks". Virtually nobody called it by its proper name. My school had a weathercock on the roof, and the school crest on everyone's blazer was a cockerel. Nobody ever thought it was rude.

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Responsible_Dog_9491@reddit

Willy.

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cheezecakeMinis@reddit

We say hey up cock alot round ere so.... erm

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dr_dolitttle@reddit

I would never avoid jokes or goggles.

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PHOEBU5@reddit

No, because cockerel only applies to young male chickens. A fully grown, adult male chicken is still called a cock. Although we all know its alternative meaning, we are mature enough to cope with these words within context without getting a fit of the vapours.

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Thats-me-that-is@reddit

Really because I know plenty of people who will deliberately use the word cock, or pick the word with the most inuendo potential

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blamordeganis@reddit

Has anybody seen my cock

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CosetElement-Ape71@reddit

Why on Earth would we try to avoid the opportunity for a good chortle?

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Actual_Cat4779@reddit

In case it's not been mentioned, the Tory politician Penny Mordaunt once made a speech about chickens in Parliament solely for the purpose of slipping in the word "cock" (which she included six times) - part of a dare.

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qualityvote2@reddit

Hello u/ksusha_lav! Welcome to r/AskABrit!

For other users, does this post fit the subreddit?

If so, upvote this comment!

Otherwise, downvote this comment!

And if it does break the rules, downvote this comment and report this post!

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Ok_Pen7290@reddit

Why have YOU GOT TO REPORT THIS?????? its a harmless question, I'm guessing you're AMERICAN MOANING HERE

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madagascan-vanilla@reddit

To avoid jokes and giggles?! What is this kinda talk??

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Paul2377@reddit

We generally say cockerel regardless of the age of the male chicken. “Rooster” sounds too American. 😆

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D_ntt@reddit

We use both, depends a lot on the sentence you are using the word in.

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Live_Lifeguard1267@reddit

You utter Cockwomble…..

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ScientistStandard100@reddit

I think most would refer to a male chicken as a cockerel, rather than a cock. Cock, however, is used in the same way as pal, or mate, in the north of England.

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False_Orchid4535@reddit

Oreet cock!

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MerlinOfRed@reddit

However, for those who don't know - the word "cock" actually started off meaning the male chicken, but the thrusting movement of a chickens head reminded people of something and the name got transferred.

It's the same for "pecker".

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YakshaUK@reddit

Who the fuck has a dick that pecks like a chicken?? That either needs a doctor or an exorcist.

I don't know about yours, but in terms of movement mine howls a bit like a wolf when the mood takes him.

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MerlinOfRed@reddit

Mine roars like a lion.

I call my wee crusading member Richard the Lionheart (or Dick for short).

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Bowlholiooo@reddit

Is it not also because of the masculine behaviour of the cockeral, strutting around his territory, cocky

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Bowlholiooo@reddit

Pretty sure this is the main meaning and everyone else here is making shit up

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Ok_Anything_9871@reddit

Probably hard to know for sure, but I thought it was in the sense of "pipe/spout" (as in stopcock, ballcock).

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MerlinOfRed@reddit

Either way, it shows that the medieval folk loved an innuendo as much as we do today.

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Familiar_Radish_6273@reddit

Anyone who studied Chaucer at uni can confirm they were probably even worse

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aaeme@reddit

But cock doesn't mean pipe/spout. In that context, it means a valve/faucet.

To cock a gun (and the cock of a gun) is probably from the movement of a cockeral's head. There's a fallic similarity there too. That origin seems very likely to me.

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tiny_rodents@reddit

What do you say to a man with no arms and no legs? Have you got the time on yer, cock?

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Miss-Hell@reddit

My gramp from Cornwall called people “cocker” and sometimes shortened it to cock

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keithmk@reddit

And in other parts of England

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Sad_Restaurant_5276@reddit

prefer cockatoo

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notquitebarkingmad@reddit

Do you mean the"knob" bird ?

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Angelf1shing@reddit

It rarely comes up, but I think cockerel would be more likely.

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workerbee41@reddit

I’m old and Northern enough to have been around for “who’s the cock of your school?”

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Weylane@reddit

They're all "Alan-a-Dale" like all fawn are "Bambi"

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Short-Shopping3197@reddit

Not all cocks are cockerel, so I wouldn’t use that unless I was specifically referring to a male chicken under a year old. For a male chicken more generally you’d use ‘rooster’.

When referring to male birds in general or adult male chickens you’d often just say ‘cock’ and suck it up, so to speak.

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Barghest90@reddit

Its Just a chicken to me, male, female, rooster, pigeon, hen doesnt matter cos im gonna call it a chicken

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Plastic_Library649@reddit

Moorcock, Moorcock

Michael Moorcock you fervently moan

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raifio@reddit

It's a greeting in Yorkshire. "Alright Cock"

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Dornogol@reddit

After the cock wales you at dawn, you watch some tits out your window

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nikadi@reddit

Not really no, we tend to use cockeral. I have an anecdote about this that cracks me up every time I remember it. Used to be a nanny and had a family with an autistic 9yo girl, she could manage day to day life mostly, but was extremely innocent and childlike, completely unaware socially with no filter and no ability to manage her volume.

Took her to a farm park with her younger siblings once and they were a specialist poultry breeder. 9yo then goes to every single pen reading the signs out [very] loudly, which all follow the format of "blah de dah HENS have these features... Blah de blah COCKS have these features..." then she was trying to discuss the differences between the different Hens and Cocks with me.

Honestly that kid was an utter treat, I was constantly on edge waiting for her next accidental shenanigans and having to try keep a straight face. We lived in Brighton so with the provenance of hen parties, stag dos and pride events we had some brilliant loud conversations in public 🤣

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wondered-bongo@reddit

Very rare i need to talk about chickens but when I do I just say chicken, regardless of gender

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Longjumping_Dark_460@reddit

Most people in the UK are capable of recognising that words that sound the same may have more than one meaning and judging the meaning from context. Even if one of those meanings is rude, sexual or scatological we seldom feel the need to collapse in either giggles or embarrassment.

The Cock is a common pub name, A Blackcock is a species of game bird. "Who killed Cock Robin" was a song I was taught in infant school.

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Rediscovered_Magpie@reddit

I, said the sparrow With my little bow and arrow.

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DreadLindwyrm@reddit

We absolutely use "cock" for the animal.

Someone is "cock of the heap" or "cock of the walk" if they're happy and confident.

We've got (semi-folk) songs based around "has anyone seen my cock" (which then goes on to be smutty, but ultimately is *mostly* about the chicken).

Cock-crow is a term for dawn, and the bible passages about Peter betraying Jesus are *usually* rendered as "before the cock crows thrice", although this depends on translation and publisher.

Cockerel and rooster are *also* used where people want to avoid possible issues. :D

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Whoppa-seagull@reddit

Both are used as far a I know, probably cock is more used as with Cock & Hen.

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Weirdo7733@reddit

We don't say cockerl, we just giggle.

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Indigo-Waterfall@reddit

We would typically say cockerel. But cock wouldn’t be totally unheard of.

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MixPlus@reddit

I live in Dorking which main claim to fame is the breed of chicken with that name (It has 5 visible toes instead of 4). On the main roundabout coming into town is a 3 metre steel sculpture of the Dorking Cockeral. We call it the Dorking Cock Roundabout.

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Markee6868@reddit

You don't know is Brits very well do you?

"To avoid jokes and giggles"

We will ACTIVELY go out of our way for opportunities to make jokes or giggles ;-)

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Kiss_It_Goodbyeee@reddit

Why would we want to avoid jokes and giggles? Life's too dull without a bit of (childish) fun.

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jessicafletcher1971@reddit

Anyone remember in the 80's an advert for Cockburns port... many a titter of laughter

[-]

jessicafletcher1971@reddit

https://youtu.be/17rOl7i55ag?si=VjxfEH_J9yI3fJWT

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Jigglypuffs_quiff@reddit

Cockeral or rooster.

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AndyRMullan@reddit

Most people I know would just say rooster. I don't know many people that say cockerel instead of it.

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hallerz87@reddit

Can’t remember I talked to someone about adult male chickens to be honest

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SpezSucksDonkeyCock@reddit

I've met people who own chickens and they mostly say 'males' or 'boys' when referring to them.

"We need to separate the hens from the male."

I've heard parents call a cockerel a rooster when speaking to younger children (farm visits etc).

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iesamina@reddit

I would say rooster for avoidance of "hilarious" jokes

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Skulldo@reddit

There isn't much call to mention the sex of a chicken. So we use chicken.

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achey85@reddit

Yes I call male birds cock and female hens, I also call male dogs a dog and females a bitch, because I'm not a child

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No-Pause6574@reddit

It is disappearing now as it was very much an older generation thing but I used to hear things like "You alright, cock?" I suspect it was a contraction of "Me old cock sparrow" which was in more common use in the 50s/60s.

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HollyHor28HH@reddit

There are pubs called The Cock Inn. We love an innuendo.

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ialtag-bheag@reddit

Chris Packham likes black cock in the morning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PPgdQoT5e0

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RosySnorlax@reddit

I feel like most of these commenters don't have any interactions with chickens regularly. As someone who keeps chickens and is surrounded by other people who keep chickens; it is definitely "cock", "cockerel" would get you looked at for being pretentious and "rooster" would get you openly mocked. UK English is as uptight as American English about naughty words.

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Special_Durian7351@reddit

James May would like a word with you

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Acrobatic-Ad584@reddit

We use cock, we like a giggle

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DistanceGlum7093@reddit

I worked with a guy called Mark Cockburn. He pronounced it Cooberrn but none of us were fooled.

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Trips-Over-Tail@reddit

"Cock" is the term for any male bird, especially used in avian husbandry.

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JollyPhysics1394@reddit

Male and female peafowl are usually referred to as Peacocks and Peahens respectively, more so than the actual species name.

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Big_Translator7475@reddit

Nah we call them spurs.

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Altruistic_Ad5444@reddit

You might have meant serious answers only?

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craigyceee@reddit

There's a place in England (Yorkshire/Lancashire) where the local greeting is "Ey up cock" or cocker. Fun place.

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stumperr@reddit

Rooster

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SloightlyOnTheHuh@reddit

Is the common American term which I've only recently heard coming into common use In the UK. For the vast majority of my 65 years cockerel is normal.

Of course this could be regional, I've only lived in the south east, the east and the midlands.

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stumperr@reddit

I'm mid 30s Scotland. I guess roosters just haven't come up that often in conversation

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SloightlyOnTheHuh@reddit

😂

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diabeticoats@reddit

There is an idiom called "cock up" to.mean a mistake.

It comes from when brewers messed up a barrel and left the stopcock up to drain.

British English has multiple opportunities for double entendres. It forms the basis of some of our comedy

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Louis_lousta@reddit

I'd call it a rooster personally

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alex8339@reddit

I use it to refer to crabs more often than I do chicken

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WGD23@reddit

I'm a big cock user in day to day life

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Fellowes321@reddit

We use it deliberately for the giggles. Not avoiding it at all.

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Mr4n7@reddit

I'd say cock if I saw a male chicken somewhere, I would also make it a rude joke somehow

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neilkeeler@reddit

I think inserting a “cock” into a conversation is very much about embracing jokes and giggles. Something bawdy, slightly risqué and naughty that most Brits relish although us English may prefer to crow on about cockerels. You’re not forgetting the range of tits we also have over here, so many birds.

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danicareddit@reddit

Use the word rooster

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kartoffeln44752@reddit

Oh cock

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MisabelWearsNikes@reddit

Yes, saying 'cock' is perfectly normal in the UK. Nobody in their right mind uses 'cockerel' in the UK.

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Remote-Field4624@reddit

Is some places still close to me people call each other cock and it's a term of enderment.

Guess the county lol?

I feel it's dying out a tad but was nothing funnier to me than when I worked with a 6 ft 17 guy who would call everyone flower in a sorta rough place. They all loved it by the way. And who doesn't wanna be called flower.

It's a colloquialism but UK is like that I have more than five accents and slang in 30 mile radius where I live, way more......

Cocker and cock is still used in places tho yes.

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dhardyuk@reddit

It’s also another word for tap - the on off kind, not a shot to the head or the mild hand guidance gesture.

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12NotesAC@reddit

https://www.mcmullens.co.uk/local-pub/cock-o-the-north/

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thecatsothermother@reddit

I use "Cockerel", or more commonly "rooster" if the subject comes up.

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jingleson@reddit

Had a really good cask ale called cock of the north a few months back at a brewery called Halifax steam

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RevolutionaryKey698@reddit

Anyone for cock flavour seasoning?

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Ancient_Village7684@reddit

Decades ago, when I was starting out in work and finance training, in the days of pencils and erasers and columned paper, the Senior Accountant who was from Yorkshire, had a joke he liked to repeat all the time. He’d say: Have you got a rubber on yer, Cock ?

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Cardabella@reddit

People who keep chickens mostly aren't that sensitive to it. Other people it probably doesn't come up that much. Same as dog breeders talk about their prize bitch's latest litter without flinching.

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spacedyemeerkat@reddit

The more you're around chickens, the morely likely you are to say 'cock'. You kinda grow out of smirking, once you get used to it. Bit like using the word 'period' at school for lessons 🤭

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MrsStinley@reddit

I would say cock if it’s clear I’m talking about a bird. Otherwise I’d say cockerel

What tickles me is that Americans are so prudish that they don’t even say chicken breasts. They call them chicken tenders

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KatVanWall@reddit

Oh is THAT what they are?! I always thought 'chicken tenders' were like strips of breaded chicken or something!

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Sea_hare2345@reddit

Chicken tenders are strips of chicken breast. Usually it refers to the breaded finished product, but you can also purchase the raw strips of chicken breast in the store called tenders.

They are not the same as a whole chicken breast which is referred to as a “chicken breast” or “white meat” (vs “dark meat”).

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KatVanWall@reddit

Ah okay, thanks for clarifying!

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JobbyJobberson@reddit

What? American here, we all call them chicken breasts. Tenders are breasts cut into strips, then breaded and fried. Idk where you got that.

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mammyquatro@reddit

Oh my God! Really??😂😂😂😂

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JobbyJobberson@reddit

American here, no. Chicken breast is absolutely normal. Tenders are breasts cut into strips, breaded or battered, and then fried.

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Front_Scholar9757@reddit

My 2 year old was pointing at a cockerel in a book yesterday shouting "big cock".

So i guess its still used by some.

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PineappleheadLUFC88@reddit

in Yorkshire, we call people cock as both an insult and a term of endearment 🤣

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Weird1Intrepid@reddit

Rooster is far more commonly used in my experience

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Spudsmad@reddit

Refer to James May “ permission to say COCK Sir “ !!!

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cdh79@reddit

You'd be amazed how many months can go by between conversations about male chicken....

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Positive-Radio-1078@reddit

I think you have your answer from the comments 😋

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Constant-Map7687@reddit

Yes cock can be used to describe male chickens, it's a term of inderment in the certain parts of the north of England , you could be greated with hello cock, it's also slang for a penis. Youll know by the context of the sentence, which one is meant.

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djedga@reddit

Feel free to greet people with "Ey up cock" if you're in Yorkshire.

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OzzyinKernow@reddit

I used to live near a town called Clare, in Suffolk. They have a pub called The Cock Inn. If you call up to book a table, they answered the phone “Cock Inn Clare”, which always made me chuckle.

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TSC-99@reddit

Cockerel

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Shannoonuns@reddit

We call the actual animal an Cockerell but theres situations where we call it a "cock" like when it the name of a pub or part of the name of a dish.

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True-Boysenberry7308@reddit

cocks, tits and boobies are all words that can be used fine, in a David Attenborough kind of way.

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Defiant_Income_7836@reddit

Anyone still run into that older guy who will affectionately call you 'me old cock' or 'cocker?'

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mozzy1985@reddit

Yeah, still used in Yorkshire a fair bit. I say it occasionally. Mucka as well

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Revolutionary-Key650@reddit

Can confirm. I'm from Yorkshire.

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Defiant_Income_7836@reddit

That's where I'm from, makes sense...me old mucka. I miss that one,

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Beanieboru@reddit

We like to say cock because its funny

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Cute-Habit-4377@reddit

I use cock cause we love double entendres especially if it also involves cats in the same sentence.

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rose_reader@reddit

We say cock specifically to summon the jokes and giggles.

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Puzzled-Horse279@reddit

I feel like people will just say chicken or rooster tbh

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AndyOf77@reddit

I don't know but Gordon Ramsey made me laugh once when he was doing a piece about chicken and he said, and I quote "the British prefer to eat hen whereas the French prefer cock" hope this helps🤣🤣

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lordshaithis@reddit

cock, tit , ass , bitch - certain animal names are a minefield :)

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Mediocre-Smile5908@reddit

Cock of the walk. ALSO used as a term of endearment - 'you alright, cock?'

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James_White21@reddit

In case anyone is interested a cock up is when part of a wooden frame such as a panelled door is misaligned during assembly, nothing to do with chickens or willies.

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Mediocre-Smile5908@reddit

Cock of the walk. Cock of the school.

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PaleMaleAndStale@reddit

I honestly can't remember the last time male chickens came up in conversation.

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Darrowby_385@reddit

We never miss an opportunity for a bit of ooh err innuendo.

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Jongee58@reddit

No ‘Cock’ as in ‘Penis’ is the insult, nothing to do with feathered egg layers…

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Thurad@reddit

I think we embrace cock as much as possible. As we have a mental age of 10.

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Alicam123@reddit

Cock in most places,

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Ochib@reddit

It’s can be a bit of a cock up if you overuse the word cockerel

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MeesterNomer@reddit

You assume we would want to avoid jokes and giggles. A well placed cock is a thing of beauty.

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No-Dinner-3715@reddit

If it helps we moved to the countryside a number of years ago and a few of our neighbours have chickens and cockerels, we call them ‘noisy bastards’

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bondinchas@reddit

We use the word cock in order to get giggles.

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Boudicat@reddit

My toddler son learnt that cock was slang for penis when he saw a chicken, declared “look at that cock” and got told off by his confused mum who then had to explain.

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PromotionChance1237@reddit

A female dog is a bitch

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Moorhenlessrooster@reddit

Same issue with dog bitches.

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Cheap-Vegetable-4317@reddit

If you deal with chickens it's commonly used but very few people on the UK deal with chickens, so it is not.

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Forward-Swimmer-8451@reddit

Rooster is what I learned lol

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Garethp@reddit

If you want a good giggle, in London there's a train line that goes to Cockfosters. And that is pronounced The way you'd read it. So if you're on it, every stop you'll hear the PA come on with a polite British accent saying "This is the Piccadilly line to - Cockfosters".

I will never not giggle at that shit

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miss_lottielou@reddit

Presenter James May ( if you heard of Top Gear) used cock as an insult or in exasperation.

'Me old cocker' is old slang you could come across, more used in friendlier situations.

I personally would say cockerel more than rooster.

All the above would be male orientated in all uses.

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Batweb235@reddit

For many years my local pub was The Cock and Bull. Cue many texts along the lines of “Cock tonight?, Who fancies the Cock? & Anyone up for the Cock?” When planning a night out.

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MLMSE@reddit

In some parts of the country, you might get called cock. Do not fear - it's not an insult.

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TheBladesAurus@reddit

Cock used relatively often for the male of certain bird species (e.g. a cock pheasant is the colourful one)

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overladenlederhosen@reddit

If you think we carefully navigate around things like this you have entirely failed to appreciate British humour.

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purrcthrowa@reddit

Yes. I'm quite surprised to see so many people saying they avoid the term and use cockerel instead. (Although it's not something that comes up in conversation much, tbh).

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Grand_Carob_2512@reddit

Use the term "cock" at any given opportunity. You should never avoid jokes and giggles, they brighten up the day.

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fanacapoopan@reddit

We would say 'man-chicken' Infront of our children and nieces and nephews.

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LiquoricePigTrotters@reddit

Man Hen

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scorpiomover@reddit

We say chicken or rooster.

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Diplomatic_Gunboats@reddit

We would generally use 'cock' in casual conversation - if the conversation concerned male chickens.

Because all levels of British society love an innuendo. The joke and (possible) giggles are the point. But also it helps that most of us are a product of a culture that goes back hundreds of years of doing that, so we can say it with a completely straight face. Two people can have an entire conversation about the merits of each other cock's, and not crack a smile between them. Yet both know what they are doing.

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MalignEntity@reddit

On the very rare occasion I have reason to mention them, I'll sometimes use the word cock, just to amsue my childish self. Cockerel is more common, unless someone is going for an old idiom like the cock crowed thrice

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WarAdventurous5277@reddit

Cock!

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draaj@reddit

I would just say "chicken"

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amanset@reddit

This. We rarely have a need to specify that it is specifically a male chicken. Farmers probably do, but most of us aren't farmers.

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Undercover_Elephant_@reddit

Agree same here, I’ve never heard anyone using the word cockerel or rooster (or cock) when talking about a chicken. Most people would just call it a chicken unless they’re experts and breeding them or something. I live up north though so maybe different in other areas of the UK. People in my area typically only use the word cock if referring to their ding dong or if being terribly rude about someone in the pub e.g. “he’s a cock”

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Dependent-Panic-9457@reddit

Some people (possibly older people) say “cock” as you might say “old man” “old boy” “grandpa” “my friend” “bro” etc.

I believe that they mean male chicken but OP’s question is making me doubt myself

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Dependent-Panic-9457@reddit

It’s the equivalent of “pet” or “duck” or “duckie”

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ClimoCustomGuitars@reddit

Only time I ever hear cockerel is when people talk about Spurs.

Usually hear rooster

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GeneticPurebredJunk@reddit

I use cockerel or probably use rooster more.

But I also think you may be overestimating the amount of time the average British person spends talking about male chickens…

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Saintlysin14u@reddit

We are British, any excuse for a cock joke

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HaggisPope@reddit

I almost never need to say it because it isn’t they relevant to my daily life. I often say rooster instead

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Immediate_Debt_@reddit

I say rooster too. Didn’t realise it wasn’t a common UK term - I must have picked it up from American TV and film? (Chicken Run maybe?!)

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snapper1971@reddit

In Britain?

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HaggisPope@reddit

In Scotland. Do they not say rooster round your parts?

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everybodyctfd@reddit

I would say rooster too (in Scotland)

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not1or2@reddit

Never heard anyone use “rooster”, it’s always cockerel. Or cock if someone is being one!

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bibonacci2@reddit

I’m no cock expert, but I think rooster is the name for the older male cock, cockerel for the younger cock.

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Aggressive-Pop2870@reddit

My husband goes for runs through our village a few times a week. Some of our neighbours along his route keep chickens. On the odd occasion where I've had to ring him or he rings me during his run, if he passes any chickens, he will invariably tell me, "Neighbour has his cock out again."

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RaggamuffinTW8@reddit

I had a Maltese lecturer at university when I was taking a metaphysics module.

He once used an example of cockerels crowing at sunrise to discuss cause and effect.

"But we do not imagine it is the cock that makes the sun rise, that would be a mighty cock indeed"

Half the lecture hall burst out laughing.

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AirlineSevere7456@reddit

Never hear cockerel, always full on cock.

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Superb-Ad-8823@reddit

Cock o leekie soup ie chicken soup with veg. When describing a make chicken we would call it a Cockerell.

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mtmp40k@reddit

When my mother was a child she was attacked by a large cock. True story.

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DanHanzo@reddit

To be truly mistaken for British you should look for opportunities to use the word cock, specifically because it is an innuendo.

If there is any opportunity to use the word cock where it is entirely inappropriate, grab it with both hands!

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StockholmGirl29@reddit

I'm not a native English speaker but I've always been told that a male chicken is a cock!

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rising_then_falling@reddit

I'd say "I was woken up by a bloody cock crowing this morning"

But I'd also say "look at the blue and red cockerel in that garden"

I'd never say rooster, which is something from American children's books as far as I'm concerned.

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TurbulentEffect99@reddit

I'd probably use rooster or cockerel and save cock for when I want to make an innuendo. But it doesn't come up very often in conversation.

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MCDCFC@reddit

I'm up with the Cock most mornings

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Vivid_Transition4807@reddit

I've got loads of chickens. If we didn't get to call the fellas cocks, what would be the point?

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Dhorlin@reddit

You should drop by the Cock Inn near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire for a pint and some lunch.

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MCDCFC@reddit

I'd particularly recommend a pint of their Dickin Cider

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Paulstan67@reddit

https://youtu.be/ln4QojnG7G8?si=IEYZTXyevsssJKcC

We even have songs about cock.

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Khidorahian@reddit

Think you need to go to cockfosters.

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Remote_Atmosphere993@reddit

A male salmon is a cock fish.

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Neddlings55@reddit

Cock isnt just a male chicken though. Its pretty much any male bird.

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Ok_Veterinarian2715@reddit

Who says we avoid giggles?

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Ok_Attitude55@reddit

Cockerel

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WIZZZARDOFFREESTYLE@reddit

I HAVE A COCK AND A PUSSY!

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soundman32@reddit

Mrs Slocombe is turning in her grave.

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Toc13s@reddit

Iirc a cockerel (or cock) is a juvenile male.

The full grown adult male is a rooster

So it's entirely in keeping to use the teem Cock.

Cock is used fairly commonly in the language (British English is less prudish than American English )

Up at the cock's crow - getting up really early

It's also used as an innuendo - Did the cock keep you up all night?

So - used for cheap laughs but also just as a word that you don't think about

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NervousCost9257@reddit

Nope lol

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Financial_Ad240@reddit

It’s also used to mean “the leader” or someone with swagger, e.g. Manchester United fans refer to their club as “the cock of the North”

[-]

Quix66@reddit

We call them roosters.

Except cockfighting (it’s illegal everywhere I think)

Coq Au Vin (French dish, rather unusual here)

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Xarro_Usros@reddit

Call it a cock, then joke about it!

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Nigelb72@reddit

The word cock is typically used to describe part of the male anatomy or when someone is being an idiot... Cockerel is what we'd use to describe a male chicken...

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Feeling-Bluebird8413@reddit

Names like “The Old Cock” aren’t unheard of for pubs, obviously referring to a bird.

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AkihabaraWasteland@reddit

Cockerel.

However, most younger people would say Rooster, to avoid the issue.

Unless we're talking about the Tottenham Hotspur crest. To describe them, we'd just say "shit".

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AwkwardTie9427@reddit

Just say "rooster"

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SoggyWotsits@reddit

Cockeyed, stop cock, a dog that cocks its leg, cock-a-hoop to mean happy (rare now), you cock your head, you cock your gun, and it’s also a term of endearment in some northern counties. As for birds, it’s not uncommon to say cock bird to described males of various species.

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ThreepwoodMarley@reddit

Trafalgar Square in London has an empty Fourth Plinth which houses temporary works of art for a few months/years at a time. About ten years ago the plinth was home to a giant blue cockerel and I took great delight in suggesting to people that we meet under the “big blue cock” whenever I could. It always made me giggle.

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ignatiusjreillyXM@reddit

Cock. Cock. Cock.

I am going to speculate there is not a single public house in the country that has the word "Cockerel" in its name (and certainly not Rooster). Whereas you might plausibly go and get bladdered down The Cock.

No self-respecting northerner ever addressed his chums, when thinking how they make him feel affectionate in the way that a male chicken does, by saying "Eh up Cockerel" let alone "wotcha rooster". Whereas they might use cock in this context, even when walking down Ticklecock Lane.

Cock.

This is not America

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ddttm@reddit

James May enters the chat.

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Sopzeh@reddit

Just to emphasise the "never say it so it doesn't matter" I had to check what was the difference between a cockerel and a rooster.

A cockerel is only a baby rooster (<1 year). So indeed rooster majority of the time, which is also never.

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snapper1971@reddit

Never hear 'rooster' in the UK, always cockerel. Rooster sounds like something an afflicted Usian would say.

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Sopzeh@reddit

Nooo! I've been infected with a US term and I didn't even know it!

I did a little search and though you're right I learnt that a cockerel is still the youngster and cock is the adult.

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Bke4766@reddit

"That fucking thing is crowing again" is my usual term of reference. I might reference the owner as a cock because this is a town and not a farm.

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Accurate_Bedroom6277@reddit

Jokes and giggles as positively encouraged!

Besides, there is very few occasions for 99% of people to be talking about chickens in a way that defining their sex is important, so when using the word "cock" it is normally being used as an insult to someone who is being a cock.

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Mintyxxx@reddit

When a cockerel is crowing in the morning you would say, "a cock crowing" and other than that it's usually just used by Dads trying to be "funny". I am one of those dad's

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Few-Possibilities@reddit

I'd say cockerel, people aren't mature enough for just cock lol

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Japhet_Corncrake@reddit

Cock and Hen are the words for all male and female birds.

Would call an adult male chicken a Cockerel.

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Hot_Cookie2308@reddit

Cockerel, just to avoid any confusion.

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Sasspishus@reddit

Male chickens are generally called cockerels. However there are some other male birds that are called cocks and the females are called hens. This mostly applies to grouse and pheasants, but some people will use those terms for most birds.

So male Black Grouse are referred to as Blackcock, male Pheasants are called cocks, and you might sometimes hear someone call male Robins a cock Robin.

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