Meaning of cock-up | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A mistake.
   Commonwealth, mildly, slang, vulgar
2. A superior letter; a lower-case letter placed above the baseline and made smaller than ordinary script; traditionally used in abbreviations.
   Ireland, UK, obsolete
3. A roll or twist of hair worn at the nape of the neck; a bun.
   Scotland, obsolete

Examples

“If the zodiac was already developed in 2000 BC, it must have been kept as a cult secret or in some non-Babylonian country; this would be a 1500-year conspiracy theory. More likely is the individual cockup theory, viz. the naivety of Eudoxus himself.”

“And I'm sorry for all the cock-ups, my cabinet are absolute crap. We'll have to do better next year.”

“In over a quarter of a century of writing this column, there has been no end of scandals, mishaps, errors and general cock-ups resulting from ministerial incompetence.”

“The first word of every section or chapter is generally put in small capitals, after a small neat cock-up letter.”

“Cockernonie, a gathering up of the hair of women, after a fashion similar to that of the modern "chignon," and sometimes called a "cock-up." Mr. Kirkton, of Edinburgh, preaching against "cock-ups"—of which chignons were the representatives a quarter of a century ago—said: "I have been all this year preaching against the vanity of women, yet I see my own daughter in the kirk even now with as high a 'cock-up' as any one of you all."”

CEFR level