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Pronunciation varies by accent · noun
(now British regional) Any of several birds of prey including the red kite, buzzard and marsh harrier.
Some like to hounds, some like to Apes, dismayd, / Some like to Puttockes, all in plumes arayd: / All shap't according their conditions […]
Who finds the partridge In the puttock's nest, But will suspect 'twas he that did the deed? " But then Shakespeare knew the habits of partridges and puttocks as well as Milton knew his Bible or his Tacitus.
Besides that, as though this pillage and pollage were not rapacious enough, they take in and enclose commons, moors, heaths and other common pastures where out the poor commonalty were want to have all their provisions and feeding for their cattle and (which is more) corn for themselves to live upon; all which are now in most places taken from them by those greedy puttocks to the great impoverishing and utter beggaring of many whole towns
Use puttock when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.
Puttock means (now British regional) Any of several birds of prey including the red kite, buzzard and marsh harrier.
The closest synonym depends on the sentence and intended sense.
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
Some like to hounds, some like to Apes, dismayd, / Some like to Puttockes, all in plumes arayd: / All shap't according their conditions […]
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