Advertisement
Advertisement
chicken
[ chik-uhn ]
noun
- a domestic fowl, Gallus domesticus, descended from various jungle fowl, especially the red jungle fowl, and developed in a number of breeds for its flesh, eggs, and feathers.
- the young of this bird, especially when less than a year old.
- the flesh of the chicken, especially of the young bird, used as food.
- Slang.
- a cowardly or fearful person.
- a young or inexperienced person, especially a young girl.
- petty details or tasks.
- unnecessary discipline or regulations.
- a young gay male, especially one sought as a sexual partner by older men.
- a contest in which two cars approach each other at high speed down the center of a road, the object being to force one's opponent to veer away first.
- a policy or strategy of challenging an opponent to risk a clash or yield:
diplomats playing chicken at the conference table.
adjective
- (of food) containing, made from, or having the flavor of chicken:
chicken salad; chicken soup.
- Slang.
- petty or trivial:
a chicken regulation.
- obsessed with petty details, regulations, etc.:
He's quitting this chicken outfit to become his own boss.
verb phrase
- Slang.
- to refrain from doing something because of fear or cowardice:
I chickened out when I saw how deep the water was.
- to renege or withdraw:
You can't chicken out of this business deal now.
chicken
/ ˈʃɪɪ /
noun
- a domestic fowl bred for its flesh or eggs, esp a young one
- the flesh of such a bird used for food
- any of various similar birds, such as a prairie chicken
- slang.a cowardly person
- slang.a young inexperienced person
- slang.an underage boy or girl regarded as a potential target for sexual abuse
- informal.any of various, often dangerous, games or challenges in which the object is to make one's opponent lose his nerve
- count one's chickens before they are hatchedto be overoptimistic in acting on expectations which are not yet fulfilled
- like a headless chicken informal.disorganized and uncontrolled
- no chicken or no spring chicken slang.no longer young
she's no chicken
adjective
- slang.easily scared; cowardly; timid
Word History and Origins
Origin of chicken1
Word History and Origins
Origin of chicken1
Idioms and Phrases
- count one's chickens before they are hatched, to rely on a benefit that is still uncertain:
They were already spending wildly, in anticipation of their inheritance, counting their chickens before they were hatched.
More idioms and phrases containing chicken
- count one's chickens
- go to bed with (the chickens)
- like a chicken with its head cut off
- no spring chicken
Example Sentences
Grab a steak, a piece of chicken, or some fish and just cook it!
Similar to how I cook chicken breast in the air fryer, my primary goal is texture: crispness, browning, crunch.
The ingredients list on the back of the pouch says it contains 12% chicken - "so the iron-rich food is a very tiny amount," she said.
Spread onto grilled bread, mix into chicken salad or use in a sandwich.
Cross is aware of the record, but is not counting her chickens.
Advertisement
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse