cosh

IPA/kɒʃ/
IPA/kɑːʃ/

cosh — noun

  • coshsingular
  • coshesplural

1. a short, heavy club, usually of rubber or metal, used to hit or threaten people.

1.nounC2
Definition

a short, heavy club, usually of rubber or metal, used to hit or threaten people.

Example

Police found a rubber cosh under the driver's seat after the chase.

collocation: rubber cosh

During the robbery, one guard was carrying a cosh instead of a gun.

Common collocations
  • rubber cosh
  • carry a cosh
  • swing a cosh
Synonyms
  • blackjack

    Very close in meaning, especially in American English, and often suggests a small weighted club.

  • baton

    Often suggests a police stick or training stick, not always a hidden street weapon.

  • club

    A broader word for any heavy stick used for hitting.

Usage Note

This word is chiefly British and often appears in crime stories, police reports, or older news language. In broader English, speakers may choose club or baton instead.

2. a drug given to make an agitated person quiet and easy to control.

2.nounC2
Definition

a drug given to make an agitated person quiet and easy to control.

Example

The nurse said the cosh would make the patient sleepy for hours.

drug effect: make someone sleepy

After the man started screaming, staff asked the doctor for a cosh.

Synonyms
  • sedative

    The standard medical term; less slangy and less judgmental than cosh.

  • tranquilizer

    Focuses on calming someone, often in medical or police contexts.

Usage Note

This sense is informal and often sounds critical, suggesting the drug is used to quiet someone rather than to treat them in a careful medical way.

cosh — verb

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Cosh, club, baton, and blackjack all refer to objects used for hitting, but they suggest different situations. Club is the broadest word and can mean almost any heavy stick or similar object used as a weapon. Baton often suggests standard police equipment or a training stick, so it sounds more official and less secretive. Blackjack is the closest match in American English and often suggests a small weighted weapon designed to stun someone quickly. Cosh is strongly British and often appears in crime stories, police reports, or older news language. A hidden street weapon carried by a robber is more likely to be called a cosh or a blackjack, while an officer on duty is more likely to carry a baton.

club ↗baton ↗blackjack ↗

Etymology

English

The exact origin of cosh is uncertain, but the word appears in English in the nineteenth century as a name for a short striking weapon. From that concrete object sense, English later formed the verb meaning 'hit with a cosh'. In British usage, the word also developed an extended sense for using a drug to subdue someone, especially in harsh or criminal contexts.