kob, noun

/kɒb/
Plurals:
usually unchanged, occasionally kobs.
Origin:
AfrikaansShow more Abbreviation of Afrikaans kabeljou (see kabeljou), with anglicization of the vowel (see quotation 1917).
a. Any fish of the family Sciaenidae, especially the kabeljou, Argyrosomus hololepidotus; cob noun1. See also geelbek sense 1 a.
Note:
In Smith and Heemstra’s Smiths' Sea Fishes (1986), the name ‘kob’ is used both in this sense and, with distinguishing epithets, to designate individual species of the family Sciaenidae.
1906 E. London Dispatch 26 June 3Our well-known and very common kabeljaauw, called for briefness ‘cob’ or ‘kob’.
1913 W.W. Thompson Sea Fisheries of Cape Col. 155Kabeljaauw..cob or Kob (East London).
[1917 A.C.M. Orrey Bottom Fishing in Cape Waters 52The geelbek is a far gamer fish than the kab., and fights well to the last.]
1930 C.L. Biden Sea-Angling Fishes 113One hears them mentioning the word ‘kob’ — not that they can see the fish, but the surface indications a mile away portend the coming of the kob.
1949 J.L.B. Smith Sea Fishes of Sn Afr. 226Johnius Hololepidotus...Salmon. Salmon Bass. Kob. Kabeljou. Rietbul. Boerkabeljou. Jewfish. Attains 6 ft. and a weight of over 150 lbs..Found virtually over our whole region..enters and lives freely in estuaries..One of our most important food fishes taken in great numbers on lines and by trawl.
1955 C. Horne Fisherman’s Eldorado 71In 1951, an angler trolling at Cape Agulhas for elf..hooked a 72 lb kabeljou, the first kob recorded caught by trolling at Cape Agulhas. On the east coast his catch would not have caused surprise, for kob, or salmon as these fish are known there, are regularly taken by spinnermen north-east of East London.
1971 Daily Dispatch 28 Aug. 21Hamburg is renowned for kob fishing in the river and many a fish of well over 100 pounds in weight has been taken.
1972 Grocott’s Mail 15 Sept. 3Kobs too should soon be heard chopping, and anglers will expecting runs from the big ’uns.
1975 E. Prov. Herald 28 Aug. 3With the arrival of chokka in the bay, the kob cannot be far behind. Any day now we should see our seasonal run of big kob in Algoa Bay.
1979 Snyman & Klarie Free from Sea 34Kabeljou, Kob/Salmon/Salmon Bass/Rietbul/Boerkabeljou. One of our most important and versatile food-fishes, with all but the largest having delicate, tasty flesh. Kabeljou have been known to reach 1,8 m in length.
1988 P. Goosen in Argus 1 Sept. 19A good sign for the spring and summer fishing season is the early arrival of kob over a wide area of the Western Cape coast.
1991 Weekend Post 5 Jan. 4Longing for a nice fresh piece of hake or a whole small kob to put on the braai.
1993 Getaway Nov. 127Kabeljou (commonly called kob).
b. Special Combinations
kob-water, disturbed or discoloured water, in which the kob is often caught .
1930 C.L. Biden Sea-Angling Fishes 113On the south-east coast particularly they keep a watchful eye on what is known as ‘kob-water’ — a discoloration of the sea, either milky, dirty yellow, or what one would liken to pea soup.
1957 S. Schoeman Strike! 71Kob-water usually results from a disturbance of the seabed.
1974 Argus 31 Dec. 4The familiar, ginger-beer coloured water known to anglers as ‘kob water’ is moving in along parts of the Strandfontein coast-line.
Any fish of the family Sciaenidae, especially the kabeljou, Argyrosomus hololepidotus; cob noun1.
disturbed or discoloured water, in which the kob is often caught
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Afrikaans
Knysna lily, noun phrasen. phr.kobo, nounn.
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