English

Alternative forms

• nestlecock

Noun

nestle-cock ‎(plural nestle-cocks)

1. (Britain, dialectal) The last-hatched chick of a brood, the weakling of a brood.
2. (Britain, dialectal, by extension) A mama's boy, a delicate child; a spoiled brat
   • a. 1632, T. Middleton et al., Any Thing for Quiet Life (1662), iv. sig. E4v:

     My mother was wont to call me your Nestle-cock, and I love you as well as she did.

   • 1986, P. O'Brian, Reverse of Medal, v. 161:

     You ignorant incompetent whey-faced nestlecock.

Synonyms

• nestlebub, runt
• mama's boy, milksop
• spoiled brat

References

• Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd ed. "nestle-cock, n.". Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2003.