Where Did The Phrase Rough As A Cob Come From?

Rough as a cob—The root of this saying is from the roughness of a dried corncob, after the kernels have been removed, in the very old days before I was born when they were used in outhouses as an alternative to citified toilet paper.

What does the saying rough as a cob mean?

(as) rough as a cob
Coarse and unrefined in manner, demeanor, or quality; tough. Primarily heard in Australia. The old farmhand is rough as a cob, but he’s got a heart of gold underneath the tough exterior. Let’s not walk down that dark street past those guys who look as rough as a cob.

What is the origin of the word cob?

Etymology 1
At least the swan sense originated in Middle English cobbe (“male swan; gang leader; bully”). Some other senses likely originated as a variant of cop (“head, top, peak, summit”). In other senses, the word may be related to cub, itself of obscure origin but possibly from Old Norse kobbi (“seal”).

What does it mean to call someone a cob?

close of business
COB stands for “close of business.” It refers to the end of a business day and the close of the financial markets in New York City, which define U.S. business hours.

What does the word cob mean in England?

dialectal, England : a rounded mass, lump, or heap. : a mixture of unburned clay and straw used especially for constructing walls of small houses in England. 3. : a crudely struck old Spanish coin of irregular shape. often used before another noun.

Is cob a Leicester thing?

“Cob.” What is usually means: a bread roll. What it means in Leicester: An upset, grumpy, mardy mood. As in, “You’ve got a right cob on.”

Is cob an old word for spider?

Cob as a word for “spider” had some use in the 17th century in certain dialects, but it was obsolete before J. R. R. Tolkien unearthed it in The Hobbit in 1937.

What do Northerners call a cob?

All around the UK, from North Wales, north Norfolk and the northwest to northern Scotland and the East Midlands, you’ll often hear a bread roll called a cob. Locals claim it’s the original word to describe a roll, used for hundreds of years in farming and by the nation’s unofficial bread expert Paul Hollywood.

Where in England do they say cob?

The term cob is particularly popular in some sections of the Midlands, with it being the preferred term among a majority of people in Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, as well as smaller minorities in the West Midlands metropolitan county (in the 20-29% bracket), Staffordshire and Worcestershire (in the

What do Londoners call a cob?

Over the Peninnes, barm cake and cob are the words used in the bakeries of Liverpool and Lancashire. Across the Midlands, you are likely to find people using the word batch to describe a bread roll. The somewhat formal morning roll is the name of choic in the South East and London, although bap is also regularly used.

What does COB mean in military?

Chief, National Guard Bureau. CO/Co. Commanding officer/company. COB. Close of business.

Whats does COP stand for?

police officer
: police officer. They called the cops to report a robbery.

What is cob in the US?

COB is an acronym for close of business, which is the end of the business day.

Why do we say sweating cobs?

The phrase is said to originate from Lancashire a region in England. It is believed to do with round bread (cobs) rising and sweating.

What do Birmingham call a cob?

Cob. Definition: If you’re from another part of the country with a particularly strong dialect you’ll know that the UK can’t decide on what to call a bread roll. To Birmingham, a simple bread roll is a cob but in other parts of the country it’s a bap, barm cake, bun, batch… the list goes on.

What is a cob called in Scotland?

The map reveals teacakes are the term of choice in the West Country, while those in Newcastle favour stotty. Across the border, Glaswegians favour rowies, while those in the Highlands say cob.

What do you call a person from Leicester?

People from Leicester are Leicesterians.

What is a crusty cob in England?

Description. Traditionally baked round white crusty bread rolls with a well baked finish.

What does Bob mean in Leicester?

excrement bare
bob – excrement. bare – a lot of something e.g. I got bare cash. bag on – in a mood.

Why are they called cobwebs and not spiderwebs?

Spider webs are called cobwebs because the old English word for spider was coppe. Turns out that cobwebs are only produced by Theridiidae (cobweb spiders) and Linyphiidae (money spiders) – all others should be just known as spider webs.

What does spider mean in British slang?

(slang) A man who persistently approaches or accosts a woman in a public social setting, particularly in a bar.