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half cocked

half cock
H h

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [haf, hahf kok]
    • /hæf, hɑf kɒk/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [haf, hahf kok]
    • /hæf, hɑf kɒk/

Definitions of half cocked words

  • verb with object half cocked to set the hammer of (a firearm) at half cock. 1
  • adjective half cocked (of a firearm) at the position of half cock. 1
  • adjective half cocked lacking mature consideration or enough preparation; ill-considered or ill-prepared; half-baked. 1
  • idioms half cocked go off half-cocked, to act or happen prematurely: He went off half-cocked and told everyone the news. Also, go off at half cock. 1

Information block about the term

Origin of half cocked

First appearance:

before 1825
One of the 37% newest English words
First recorded in 1825-35

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Half cocked

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

half cocked popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 44% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
According to our data about 57% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

half cocked usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for half cocked

adj half cocked

  • tenderfoot — a raw, inexperienced person; novice.
  • green — of the color of growing foliage, between yellow and blue in the spectrum: green leaves.
  • rookie — an athlete playing his or her first season as a member of a professional sports team: The rookie replaced the injured regular at first base.
  • half-baked — insufficiently cooked.
  • unskilled — of or relating to workers who lack technical training or skill.

Antonyms for half cocked

adj half cocked

  • professional — following an occupation as a means of livelihood or for gain: a professional builder.
  • delayed — of or relating to a particle, as a neutron or alpha particle, that is emitted from an excited nucleus formed in a nuclear reaction, the emission occurring some time after the reaction is completed.
  • mature — complete in natural growth or development, as plant and animal forms: a mature rose bush.
  • overdue — past due, as a delayed train or a bill not paid by the assigned date; late: two overdue library books.
  • careful — If you are careful, you give serious attention to what you are doing, in order to avoid harm, damage, or mistakes. If you are careful to do something, you make sure that you do it.

See also

Matching words

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