English Explanatory Dictionary

cocktail

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A mixed alcoholic beverage.
  2. A mixture of other substances or things.
  3. A horse, not of pure breed, but having only one eighth or one sixteenth impure blood in its veins.
  4. A mean, half-hearted fellow.
  5. A species of rove beetle, so called from its habit of elevating the tail.
adj
  1. Ostentatiously lacking in manners.
verb
  1. To adulterate (fuel, etc.) by mixing in other substances.
  2. To treat (a person) to cocktails.

Pronunciation

/ˈkɒk.teɪl/ /ˈkɑk.teɪl/ /ˈkɔk.tæɪl/ En-au-cocktail.ogg

Word forms

cocktail cocktails more cocktail most cocktail cocktailing cocktailed

Etymology

Early 17th century, from cock (“male bird”) + tail, in the sense “(a horse with its) tail standing up, like a cock’s”. The origin of the extension to “an alcoholic mixed drink” is unknown. One theory is that it refers to a stimulant (gingering), hence a stimulating drink; compare pick-me-up. Another attested use is for non-thoroughbred racehorses: these were considered "cock-tailed" due to their docked tails. This may have led to the term "cocktail" (sense 1) being used for an adulterated spirit.

Synonyms

mixed drink ckt bouillabaisse bric-a-brac catch-all clamjamfrey cocktail rummage anthology gallery congeries crazyquilt disjecta membra farrago galimatias gallimaufry grab bag hodgepodge horse and rabbit stew hotchpotch hotchpot job lot jumble macedoine medley melange mingle-mangle miscellanea miscellany mishmash mixed bag mixture motley odds and ends oddments olio olla podrida omnium-gatherum pastiche patchwork quilt potpourri ragbag salmagundi slurry smorgasbord welter Whitman's sampler coward

Related words

swizzle

Derived words

AIDS cocktail atom cocktail atomic cocktail beertail Brompton cocktail champagne cocktail cocktail ant cocktail bar cocktail cabinet cocktail dress cocktailery cocktail flu cocktail fork cocktail frank cocktail frankfurter cocktail frock cocktail game cocktail glass cocktail hat cocktailian cocktailing cocktail length cocktail lounge cocktail music cocktail onion cocktail party cocktail party deafness cocktail party effect cocktail party graph cocktail peanut cocktail sandwich cocktail sauce cocktail sausage cocktail sav cocktail saveloy cocktail shaker cocktail stick cocktail strainer cocktail table cocktail tomato cocktail waitress cocktailwear cocktail wiener colonic cocktail currency cocktail Darvon cocktail Dubonnet cocktail fruit cocktail kiddie cocktail locktail mocktail molotov cocktail Myers' cocktail phytococktail poptail prairie cocktail prawn cocktail prawn cocktail offensive scintillation cocktail virgin cocktail
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