Quote Originally Posted by diogen_ View Post
Throbert, thanks for the correction. But I'm bewildered. What's wrong with the "cock's plumage"?
In modern English, the word "cock" practically always!!!! means х*й, not петух!!

In fact, I would advise Russians against translating петух as "cock" unless it's in a historic or literary quotation ("Peter, thou shalt deny me three times before the cock crows") or if it occurs in certain proverbial or technical senses ("cock-and-bull story" or "to cock a gun").

BTW, the English word "rooster" (петух) was not commonly used until perhaps the 18th century -- before that, "cock" did not have the obscene slang meaning referring to the penis. But as the slang sense "cock as in х*й " became increasingly popular, people became embarrassed about saying "cock as in петух", and the once-rare word "rooster" became the normal term.

P.S. The etymological development of cock is quite well known -- at least compared with the relatively obscure history of f*ck -- and we can list the senses from oldest to newest:

1. "cock" = петух -- ancient, going back at least to proto-Germanic
2. = кран (для провода) -- 15th century
3. = молоток на старомодном ружье -- 16th century
4. = х*й -- probably by mid-17th century

So, "sense 4" probably developed as a rude joke based on the three older meanings. ("It has a red head, it stands up in the early morning, sometimes water comes out of it, and sometimes it shoots like a cannon...")