1. A vane in the form of a cock, which turns with its head to the wind. Also used gen. for a vane of any form. Often mentioned as a symbol of mutability or fickleness.
a. 1300. Neckam de Utensil., in Wright, Vocab., 115. Ventilogium, veder-coc.
1340. Ayenb., 180. Þeruore hi byeþ ase þe wedercoc þet is ope þe steple, þet him went mid eche wynde.
a. 1400. Chaucer, Agst. Woman Unconstant, 12. As a wedercok, that turneth his face With every wind.
c. 1480. Henryson, Test. Cress., 567. Thairfoir, I reid ȝe tak thame as ȝe find, For thay ar sad as Widdercock in Wind.
1546. Inv. Ch. Goods York, etc. (Surtees), 86. The said Steple havyng a whether cokke theruppon all gylt.
1683. D. A., Art of Converse, 21. Some are as changeable as weather-cocks in their humours.
1790. Cowper, Let. Lady Hesketh, 22 March. I have as many opinions about it as there are whims in a weathercock.
1833. L. Ritchie, Wand. by Loire, 37. The Duc de Choiseul … consoled himself by setting up the head of Voltaire as a weathercock.
1867. H. Latham, Black & White, 100. The most conspicuous weather-cock in the town is a golden trumpet on the spire of one of the churches.
2. fig. a. of things (in various obvious allusions). † Upon the weathercock, inclined to turn and vary.
1589. Greene, Menaphon (Arb.), 48. No doubt your mother was made of a Weathercocke, that brought foorth such a wauering companion.
1661. Godolphin, View Adm. Jurisd., Introd. [a]. He that vents his own Notions, or sails by the weather-cock of his own Brain.
1687. Dryden, Hind & P., I. 465. The Word’s a weathercock for ev’ry wind.
1702. Vanbrugh, False Fr., I. B 2. As much upon the Weather-cock as the Ladies are, there are some the Wind must blow hard to fetch ’em about.
1888. Bryce, Amer. Commw., III. lxxix. 35. Newspapers are powerful in three ways, as narrators, as advocates, and as weathercocks.
b. of persons; esp. one who is changeable or inconstant.
1588. Shaks., L. L. L., IV. i. 97. What plume of feathers is hee that indited this Letter? What veine? What Wether-cocke? Ibid. (1598), Merry W., III. ii. 18. Where had you this pretty weather-cocke?
1607. Middleton, Fam. Love, II. (1608), C 2. I thinke we loose part of our happinesse when we make these weathercocks our equalls.
1670. Dryden, 1st Pt. Conq. Granada, III. (1672), 21. The word which I have giv’n shall stand like Fate; Not like the King’s, that weathercock of State.
1799. Nelson, 6 April, in Nicolas, Disp., III. 316. The last are weathercocks, and will always be on the side of the conqueror.
a. 1850. Calhoun, Wks. (1874), II. 178. I ask the advocates of this doctrine, in what do they differ in their actions from the mere trimmer, the political weathercock?
1870. R. B. Brough, Marston Lynch, xiv. 118. He was … terrible weathercock in the matter or opinion.
3. attrib. and appos., passing into adj. = changeable, inconstant.
a. 1680. Charnock, Attrib. God (1834), I. § 558. The wavering and weathercock resolutions of men.
1710. in Hearne, Collect., 7 March (O. H. S.), II. 356. Not weather-Cock Kennett such turning can show.
1801. Marvellous Love-Story, II. 316. Miss Harrison was one of those every-day sort of weathercock characters who veer about with every varying gust of prejudice, folly, or envy.
1818. Coleridge, Friend (1865), 216. Their political opinions depend with weathercock uncertainty on the winds of rumour that blow from France.
1881. Miss Braddon, Asphodel, II. 162. In affairs of the heart, Mr. Turchill belonged to the weathercock species.
b. Comb.: weathercock-like adj., -wise adv.
1663. Gerbier, Counsel, 2. Inslaved by Weather-cok-like-spirits to make their Buildings according unto things a la mode.
1874. Lisle Carr, Jud. Gwynne, II. vii. 192. It was not in his steadfast nature to veer about, weather-cock-wise.
Hence Weathercockish, -cocky adjs., fickle, changeable. Weathercockism, changeableness.
1832. Newcastle Jrnl., 13 Oct., 2/5. We have seldom met with so terrible an instance of weathercockism and want of gratitude and principle.
1843. Fraser’s Mag., XXVII. 301/2. Thiers will always be regarded as the very condensed essence of weathercockism.
1857. Daily Bee. (Sacramento, CA), 8 June, 2/1. The initiated seem to think that it is a ruse to aid the clique candidate, and that John L. Craig, the weathercockish, is lending himself to their purposes.
1879. Western Times, 13 Nov., 2/2. Moralizing thereon in a weather-cocky strain, the Times says [etc.].
1886. ‘Ouida,’ House Party, ix. (1887), 198. She is what her husband characterises as ‘weathercocky.’
Who is not ‘weathercocky’ in the world?
1887. Sat. Rev., 12 Feb., 213/2. To do these Radicals justice, there is a great deal of consistency in their weathercockism.
