chicken

chicken
   1. a youth attractive to homosexuals
   A variant of chick. A chickenhawk is a homosexual adult who seeks out boys for sexual purposes, punning on sparrowhawk:
    Chicken worried him, though. There were these children of eleven, twelve and thirteen. (Fry, 1991)
    I just happen to like boys... but I don't do chickenhawks. (M. Thomas, 1980)
   If however someone describes you as NO (SPRING) CHICKEN, it means you are showing your age.
   2. cowardly
   From the supposed nature of the domestic fowl. To chicken out is to behave in a craven way:
    I'm not chicken. I'm just being realistic. (Ryan, 1999)
    Panditji, Congress-tho, is always chickening out in the face of radical acts. (Rushdie, 1995)
   An American chicken colonel is not being accused of cowardice but is wearing the ordained badge of rank on his shoulders.

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

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Chicken 65 — is a spicy, deep fried chicken dish popular in South India, as a bar snack, entree, or quick snack. The flavour of the dish comes from ginger, cayenne pepper, mustard powder and vinegar although the exact recipe can vary. It can be prepared using …   Wikipedia

  • chicken — (n.) O.E. cicen young fowl, which in M.E. came to mean young chicken, then any chicken, from W.Gmc. *kiukinam (Cf. M.Du. kiekijen, Du. kieken, O.N. kjuklingr, Swed. kyckling, Ger. Küken chicken ), from root *keuk (echoic of the bird s sound and… …   Etymology dictionary

  • chicken — [chik′ən] n. [ME chicken < OE cycen < WGmc * kiukina < * kiuk ; like COCK1, of echoic orig.; akin to MLowG kûken (Du kuiken, kieken)] 1. a common gallinaceous farm bird (Gallus domesticus) raised for its edible eggs or flesh; hen or… …   English World dictionary

  • chicken — ► NOUN 1) a domestic fowl kept for its eggs or meat, especially a young one. 2) a coward. 3) informal a game in which the first person to lose their nerve and withdraw from a dangerous situation is the loser. ► ADJECTIVE informal ▪ cowardly. ►… …   English terms dictionary

  • Chicken — bezeichnet einen Ort in Alaska, siehe Chicken (Alaska) eine Implementierung der Programmiersprache Scheme, siehe Chicken (Scheme) Chicken ist der Familienname von Ludwig Chicken (* 1915), Alpinist und Arzt Siehe auch: Schicken …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Chicken — Chick en, n. [AS. cicen, cyceun, dim. of coc cock; akin to LG. kiken, k[ u]ken, D. Kieken, kuiken, G. k[ u]chkein. See {Cock} the animal.] 1. A young bird or fowl, esp. a young barnyard fowl. [1913 Webster] 2. A young person; a child; esp. a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Chicken (EP) — Chicken EP by Ednaswap Released 1996 Recorded 1995 Genre Hard rock, Post grunge …   Wikipedia

  • Chicken — Chicken, AK U.S. Census Designated Place in Alaska Population (2000): 17 Housing Units (2000): 21 Land area (2000): 115.411025 sq. miles (298.913169 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 115.411025 sq …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Chicken, AK — U.S. Census Designated Place in Alaska Population (2000): 17 Housing Units (2000): 21 Land area (2000): 115.411025 sq. miles (298.913169 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 115.411025 sq. miles… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • chicken — chicken. См. chicken. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • chicken — [n1] person afraid to try something coward, craven, dastard, funk, poltroon, quitter, recreant, scaredy cat*, yellow belly*; concept 423 chicken [n2] farm fowl banty, barnyard fowl, biddy, capon, chick, cock, cock a doodle do*, cockalorum,… …   New thesaurus

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”