4

'Twould have done your heart good, Mus' Springett, to see the two hundred of us masons, jewellers, carvers, gilders, iron-workers and the rest--all toiling like cock-angels, and this mad Italian hornet fleeing one to next up and down the chapel. Done your heart good, it would!'

This is from "Rewards and Fairies"/"The Wrong Thing" by Kipling.

http://pinkmonkey.com/dl/library1/digi300.pdf

I do not understand what "cock-angels" means.

The Note of Kipling Society Web says;

cock-angels perhaps to be glossed from OED:

http://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/rg_wrongthing1.htm

What does it mean?

I am glad if someone kindly teach me.

| improve this question | |
2

According to the second source you've provided, the prefix cock in this instance is connected to cocky, which the OED defines as:

conceited or confident in a bold or cheeky way.

So it means they worked like bold, confident angels.

| improve this answer | |
  • Thank you so much for your answer. It is so helpful for me!! – Hiroshi Inagaki Aug 25 '16 at 0:39
  • Could it mean "male angels" instead, as opposed to "gender-neutral angels" and "female angels"? – CowperKettle May 21 '18 at 8:30
0

I find the notion that these builders are somehow 'bold or cocky angels' rather unlikely. Whatever it is, a 'cock angel' presumably has something to do either with 'toiling', or else with the large assemblage of diverse workmen. My hypothesis (for which I have not been able to find a shred of evidence)is that the simile refers to swarming insects, and that "cock-angel" is a dialect form of 'cockchafer', a species of beetle once noted for appearing in great swarms.

| improve this answer | |
0

To save time and understand the meaning, you can simply replace "cock-angels" by another, less recondite and better-known term, such as "toiling like slaves/ toiling like ants/ toiling like oxen"... in other words, people or things that work hard. You can find even more examples in an online search by replacing the low-frequency "toiling" by the more common synonym "working". Then, you will find expressions such as "working like a beaver/dog/Trojan/donkey... etc.

| improve this answer | |
  • NB: This a a very old-fashioned type of literary English and many native speakers today would also find it difficult to understand. It has little relevance to the actual spoken language of the 21st century. – user46359 May 21 '18 at 7:49

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.