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Glite Dictionary
🔨 A heavy weapon 💥 To hit hard
cosh

cosh

1 9.9
A short heavy stick with a leather head used to hit people
  • noun
  • /kɒʃ/
  • NSFW
translation icon : porra
  • Hard Anthony himself was supposed to be waiting for me in some dark lane or courtyard, armed with a cosh and a shiv.

There was no bats, no coshes, no CS gas, no dusters, nothing.

Examples

  • The robber threatened him with a cosh before demanding his wallet.

  • I've got a cosh I took off a fella at the Glasgow Cross.

    Nine Men (1943)

  • In self-defense, she grabbed a cosh and swung it at her attacker.

  • He kept a cosh hidden under his coat for protection while walking alone at night.

Synonyms

sap
vscosh
  • Archaic
3 9.9

A small flexible club covered with leather used to hit people

is heavier and not mainly used by police
blackjack
vscosh
  • NSFW
2 8.9

A short heavy club covered in leather used to hit people

is heavier and larger than this short thick type
slungshot
vscosh
  • Archaic
9.9

A heavy weight on a rope that you use as a hand weapon to hit someone

is a rigid handled heavy club rather than a corded weight

Surface Forms

cosh singular
coshes plural

Etymology

Cosh was old criminal slang for a small heavy club, often a piece of metal wrapped in leather so it could be hidden. A helpful way to remember cosh is to imagine a hard club with a soft 'cover', and that is why cosh means a heavy weapon used for striking people.