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Hendrickson, Robert. "according to Cocker." Writer's Reference Center. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 18 Apr. 2025. <http://fofweb.infobase.com/wrc/Detail.aspx?iPin=EWPO00058>.
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according to Cocker

Definition 
According to Cocker, an English proverb similar to the five according entries following, means very accurate or correct, according to the rules. According to Cocker could just as well mean "all wrong"; however, few authorities bother to mention this. The phrase honors Edward Cocker (1631–75), a London engraver who also taught penmanship and arithmetic. Cocker wrote a number of popular books on these subjects, and reputedly authored Cocker's Arithmetick, which went through 112 editions, its authority giving rise to the proverb. Then in the late 19th century, documented proof was offered showing that Cocker did not write the famous book at all, that it was a forgery of his editor and publisher, so poorly done in fact that it set back rather than advanced the cause of elementary arithmetic.

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