Definition

1. Noun:
   • A bell hung around the neck of a cow: A hollow, typically metal, percussion instrument designed to be attached to a cow's neck. Its primary function is to produce a sound as the cow moves, allowing its owner to locate the animal.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The gentle clanking of a cowbell could be heard from the distant pasture.
  • The farmer replaced the old cowbell with a new one.
  • The sound of the cowbell helped guide us to the lost herd.

Advanced Usage

• Musical Instrument: In music, particularly in genres like Latin, rock, and folk, a "cowbell" is a handheld percussion instrument of the same shape, struck with a stick to produce a distinctive, penetrating clang.
  • The song's rhythm is driven by a loud cowbell.
  • The percussionist added a cowbell to the arrangement.

Variants and Related Words

• Bell (n): A hollow object, typically metal, that rings when struck.
• Herd bell (n): A synonym for a cowbell, especially when used for other livestock like goats or sheep.

Synonyms

• Herd bell: A bell used on grazing animals.
• Stock bell: Another term for a bell attached to livestock.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• More cowbell: A humorous phrase originating from a famous comedy sketch, used to suggest that a musical piece needs a louder, more prominent cowbell part or, by extension, that something needs more intensity or a distinctive element.
  • This track is good, but it needs more cowbell.

Noun

1. a bell hung around the neck of cow so that the cow can be easily located