[syn: comb, cockscomb, coxcomb]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Coxcomb \Cox"comb`\ (k?ks"k?m`), n. [A corrupted spelling of
cock's comb.]
1.
(a) A strip of red cloth notched like the comb of a cock,
which licensed jesters formerly wore in their caps.
(b) The cap itself.
[1913 Webster]
2. The top of the head, or the head itself.
[1913 Webster]
We will belabor you a little better,
And beat a little more care into your coxcombs.
--Beau & Fl.
[1913 Webster]
3. A vain, showy fellow; a conceited, silly man, fond of
display; a superficial pretender to knowledge or
accomplishments; a fop.
[1913 Webster]
Fond to be seen, she kept a bevy
Of powdered coxcombs at her levee. --Goldsmith.
[1913 Webster]
Some are bewildered in the maze of schools,
And some made coxcombs, nature meant but fools.
--Pope.
[1913 Webster]
4. (Bot.) A name given to several plants of different genera,
but particularly to Celosia cristata, or garden
cockscomb. Same as Cockscomb.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
coxcomb
n 1: a conceited dandy who is overly impressed by his own
accomplishments [syn: coxcomb, cockscomb]
2: a cap worn by court jesters; adorned with a strip of red
[syn: cockscomb, coxcomb]
3: the fleshy red crest on the head of the domestic fowl and
other gallinaceous birds [syn: comb, cockscomb,
coxcomb]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
31 Moby Thesaurus words for "coxcomb":
Beau Brummel, beau, bladder, blade, blood, boulevardier, buck,
cap and bells, clotheshorse, dandy, dude, exquisite, fashion plate,
fine gentleman, fop, fribble, gallant, jack-a-dandy, jackanapes,
lady-killer, lounge lizard, macaroni, man-about-town, masher,
motley, puppy, slapstick, sock, spark, sport, swell