hen

hen
   associated with a bride
   The usage, which survives in hen party, a meeting between the bride and her female friends immediately prior to a wedding, and in hen night, a social gathering limited to females, once occurred in northern English phrases more to do with extortion than with celebration. Hen brass or hen silver was demanded by onlookers for hen-drinking, ostensibly to toast the bride, and in a refined form firearms were used:
    Formerly a gun was fired over the house of a newly married couple, to secure a plentiful issue of the marriage (probably to dispel the evil spirits that bring bad luck). The firing party had a present given them... and this was termed hen-silver. (Penrith Observer, September 1896)
   The male equivalent is not cock but stag.

How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. . 2014.

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  • Hen — Hen, n. [AS. henn, hen, h[ae]n; akin to D. hen, OHG. henna, G. henne, Icel. h?na, Dan. h[ o]na; the fem. corresponding to AS. hana cock, D. haan, OHG. hano, G. hahn, Icel. hani, Dan. & Sw. hane. Prob. akin to L. canere to sing, and orig. meaning …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Hen — may refer to: *Hen (bird), a female bird, a female of any member of the bird family, including species of poultry, duck, fowl, ostrich or emu. *Hen, specifically a female adult chicken *Hen, a female octopus or lobster *Hen (slang), a woman *Hen …   Wikipedia

  • hen — O.E. henn, from W.Gmc. *khannjo (Cf. O.Fris. henn, M.Du. henne, O.H.G. henna), fem. of *han(e)ni male fowl, cock (Cf. O.E. hana cock ), lit. bird who sings (for sunrise), from PIE root *kan to sing (see CHANT (Cf …   Etymology dictionary

  • hen — {{/stl 13}}{{stl 8}}przysł. {{/stl 8}}{{stl 7}} wyraz o zabarwieniu emocjonalnym, czasem powtórzony, zwykle wzmacniający znaczenie innego określenia przestrzennego użytego w zdaniu, oznaczający znaczne oddalenie tego, o czym mowa, od jakiegoś… …   Langenscheidt Polski wyjaśnień

  • hen — adv.; hen ad el. henad aften (jf. henad); hen imod el. henimod de tres (jf. henimod); hen ved el. henved klokken fem (jf. henved); hen under el. henunder aften (jf. henunder); siden hen el. sidenhen …   Dansk ordbog

  • Hen — 変 Type seinen Genre romance Manga : Strange Auteur Hiroya Oku Éditeur …   Wikipédia en Français

  • hen ad — hen ad; gå hen ad el. henad vejen; hen ad el. henad aften (jf. § 19. Skrivemåden uafhængig af udtalen.1.a) …   Dansk ordbog

  • hen — [ hen ] noun count 1. ) a female chicken 2. ) often before noun the female of any type of bird: a hen pheasant …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • hen — ► NOUN 1) a female bird, especially of a domestic fowl. 2) (hens) domestic fowls of either sex. ● as rare (or scarce) as hen s teeth Cf. ↑as scarce as hen s teeth ORIGIN Old English …   English terms dictionary

  • Hen — (griech ἓν), eins; hen kai pān (ἓν ϰαὶ πᾶν) eins und alles …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Hen- — [griech. hén = einer]: Zahlwort mit der Bed. »eins« in zusammengesetzten Zahlwortstämmen, z. B. Henicos , Hentriacont (Ausnahme: C11; ↑ Undec ) …   Universal-Lexikon

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