cob [LME] A small word with many distinct meanings, among them a nut [LME], loaf of bread [E17th], the central part of an ear of corn [E18th], a male swan [L16th], and a short-legged horse [E19th]. What these senses all have in common is probably the underlying idea of being stout, rounded, or sturdy. The word, which may be related to Old English copp ‘top or head’, was originally used to refer to a strong man or leader. Cobble [LME], a rounded stone used for paving, derives from cob. Cobbler [ME], ‘a person who mends shoes’, is unconnected, and its origin is not known, although it is related to cobble meaning ‘to assemble roughly’ [LME] and ‘to repair shoes’ [M16th]. Cobblers [M20th], ‘rubbish’, is rhyming slang from cobbler’s awls, ‘balls’.