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spatchcock

Syllabification: (spatch·cock)
Pronunciation: /ˈspaCHˌkäk/

Definition of spatchcock

noun

  • a chicken or game bird split open and grilled.

verb

[with object]
  • split open (a poultry or game bird) to prepare it for grilling.
  • informal, chiefly British add (a phrase, sentence, clause, etc.) in a context where it is inappropriate:a new clause has been spatchcocked into the bill

Origin:

late 18th century (originally an Irish usage): perhaps related to the noun dispatch + cock1, but compare with spitchcock

spatchcock in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of spatchcock in the British & World English dictionary

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