gamecock

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a rooster bred and trained for cockfighting

   The historical exhibit explained how a gamecock was bred for aggression and stamina.

2. 2
   noun

   a fiercely combative or spirited person

   He strutted around the debating chamber like a victorious gamecock.

A compound of game in its older sense "sport or contest" and cock ("rooster"). Its figurative use compares an aggressive, swaggering person to a bird bred for fighting.

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