ProbableFrom the people of the place
English cocker spaniel
noun · first attested 1946
In England it is just a cocker spaniel; Americans added the country.
A compact British gun dog bred to flush woodcock and other birds from cover.
53.0000°N -1.0000°W · Q21
Record
- Relationship
- From the people of the place
- Confidence
- ProbableThe conventional story is likely, with caveats.
- Attested
- 1946
- Part of speech
- noun
Explanations here are written for this atlas. Dictionary text is not copied; the sources are linked so the claim can be checked.
- Step 1
England
- In English
English cocker spaniel
Victorian breeders sorted spaniels by size and job, and the smallest were kept for woodcock, which gave the cocker its name. American breeders developed a smaller, domed-headed variety, and when the two were recognized as separate breeds in 1946 the older type acquired a national label it had never needed at home.
Also pinned to England
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