An archaic term of endearment or praise meaning a fine fellow, a good companion, or a bold person.
Possibly a compound of 'baw' (perhaps meaning 'bold' or 'fine') and 'cock' (used as a term of address for a man), though the etymology is obscure. It appears in Early Modern English texts as a complimentary epithet.
Bawcock is a charming Shakespearean-era compliment that literally sounds like what it might mean—a bold rooster of a man—but scholars still argue about whether 'baw' means bold, fine, or comes from something else entirely.
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