Used legally, a recognizance is an obligation or bond before a magistrate or court by which one promises to keep a condition or perform an action. An arrested person like Ko-Ko might pay bail to get out of the county jail and be under recognizances -- a promise, an obligation -- not to flirt.

In the recordings many Ko-Kos mispronounce the word "recognizances." The OED lists the word only with a short i.

This discussion is based on the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, which requires a little explanation.

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