Meaning
A person who dominates a group or situation in a proud, strutting, overbearing way; the self-important master of a small circle. Usually said critically of someone whose swagger exceeds their real standing. Informal and mocking of arrogance; somewhat dated in tone in modern usage. Regional use: General English.
Origin
In animal husbandry an enclosed yard or pen was called a 'walk', so the rooster that ruled the flock was literally the dominant bird of the walk, strutting and domineering. The figurative use is recorded from 1781, the first known use date given by both Wordsmith and Merriam-Webster, which defines it as 'one that dominates a group or situation especially overbearingly'; Francis Grose's late-18th-century slang dictionary is also cited for the gloss 'the leading man in any society'. Some accounts add a cockfighting link, the winning bird being hailed as the champion of the walk. The farmyard derivation is plausible and generally accepted, though it is reconstructed from usage rather than documented at the moment of coinage.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- cock o' the walk
- cock of the dunghill (older kindred phrase)
- cocks of the walk (plural)
- the cock of the walk
Usage Examples
- Ever since his promotion he has strutted around the department like the cock of the walk.
- Two rival producers are fighting to be cock of the walk this awards season.
- She was cock of the walk in the small branch office, yet head office barely knew her name.