billycock: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Rare / ArchaicInformal / Historical / British
Quick answer
What does “billycock” mean?
A man's hard felt hat with a round crown and a curled brim, typically black.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A man's hard felt hat with a round crown and a curled brim, typically black; a bowler hat.
A dated, chiefly British term for a type of formal headwear, often associated with city businessmen or gentlemen of a certain era.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
'Billycock' is exclusively British; Americans would only know it from British literature or period dramas and would use 'bowler hat'.
Connotations
In the UK, it evokes the 19th/early 20th century, City gents, and a bygone era. It lacks modern connotations.
Frequency
Effectively obsolete in modern British speech; 'bowler' is the universal term.
Grammar
How to Use “billycock” in a Sentence
wear [a/the] billycocktip one's billycockdoff one's billycockVocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Archaic; might be used humorously to refer to a stereotypical City financier of the past.
Academic
Used in historical or cultural studies discussing Victorian/Edwardian fashion.
Everyday
Not used in modern conversation.
Technical
Not applicable.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “billycock”
- Spelling: 'billycock' not 'billy cock'. Using it as a current term.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is an archaic term. The modern word is 'bowler hat' (or 'derby' in American English).
It is believed to be a corruption of 'bully-cocked', referring to a hat worn at a 'bully' (excellent) angle, or possibly linked to a hatter named William Coke.
Only in historical or stylistic contexts. For contemporary description, 'bowler hat' is the appropriate term.
No, they refer to the same item of headwear. 'Billycock' is simply an older, colloquial name for it.
A man's hard felt hat with a round crown and a curled brim, typically black.
Billycock: in British English it is pronounced /ˈbɪlɪkɒk/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈbɪlɪkɑːk/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[none directly associated]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a BILLY goat wearing a COCKed hat – a silly image for an old-fashioned bowler.
Conceptual Metaphor
HEADGEAR AS SOCIAL STATUS (A billycock was a marker of a certain middle-class, professional identity).
Practice
Quiz
What is a 'billycock'?