Brewer's: Coif

(1 syl.). The coif of the old serjeant-at-law was a relic of his ecclesiastical character. The original serjeants-at-law were clerical lawyers, and the coif is the representation of the tonsure. Serjeants of the Coif. Serjeants-at-law (now abolished). (See above.)

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
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