Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

have a cob on

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.04 in modern English

Syllables
have a -cob on
IPA
20
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To be in a bad mood; be grumpy.

Etymology

Unknown. Perhaps from cob (“male swan”), noted for its ill-temper. Compare have a corncob up one's arse (“to be ill-tempered”).

Inflected Forms

has a cob on (present, singular) having a cob on (participle, present) had a cob on (participle, past) had a cob on (past) have got a cob on (alternative) get a cob on (alternative)

Questions

What does have a cob on mean?
To be in a bad mood; be grumpy.
Where does have a cob on come from?
Unknown. Perhaps from cob (“male swan”), noted for its ill-temper. Compare have a corncob up one's arse (“to be ill-tempered”).

How to pronounce have a cob on

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “have a cob on”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “have a cob on”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “have a cob on” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.