funking the cobbler
Preserved but no longer current.
A bold schoolboy trick, performed with assafœtida and cotton stuffed into a hollow tube or cow’s horn. The cotton being lighted, the smoke is blown in through the keyhole of a door, or the crannies of a cobbler’s stall.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “funking the cobbler” mean?
A bold schoolboy trick, performed with assafœtida and cotton stuffed into a hollow tube or cow’s horn. The cotton being lighted, the smoke is blown in through the keyhole of a door, or the crannies of a cobbler’s stall.
Is “funking the cobbler” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.