cock off
C1 informal intransitive
In simple words
For a gun to go off by accident when it's ready to fire; or (in dialect) to go away.
Literal meaning: 'Cock' is the hammer of a firearm that is pulled back; 'off' indicates it releasing — literally 'the cocked part fires off'.
Meanings
1 C1 neutral
(Of a firearm) to discharge accidentally or to release when the hammer is cocked.
"The hunter's rifle cocked off when he slipped on the wet ground."
Grammar: inseparable
2 C1
idiomatic
slang
(Dialectal, rude) To go away; to stop bothering someone.
"He told the persistent salesman to cock off and leave him alone."
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
The firearms sense is technical and rare in everyday speech. A separate, crude dialectal use means to dismiss someone ('cock off!' = go away), but this is very rare and potentially offensive in some contexts.
Commonly used with
gun rifle hammer trigger weapon
Forms
Base
cock off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
cocks off
he/she/it
Past simple
cocked off
yesterday
Past participle
cocked off
have + pp
-ing form
cocking off
continuous
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