chicken out
ən noun
1.
a domestic fowl, Gallus domesticus, descended from various jungle fowl of southeastern Asia and developed in a number of breeds for its flesh, eggs, and feathers.
2.
the young of this bird, especially when less than a year old.
3.
the flesh of the chicken, especially of the young bird, used as food.
4.
Informal. a young or inexperienced person, especially a young girl.
5.
Slang.
a.
a cowardly or fearful person.
b.
petty details or tasks.
c.
unnecessary discipline or regulations.
d.
a young male homosexual, especially one sought as a sexual partner by older men.
adjective
8.
(of food) containing, made from, or having the flavor of chicken: chicken salad; chicken soup.
9.
Slang.
a.
b.
petty or trivial: a chicken regulation.
c.
obsessed with petty details, regulations, etc.: He's quitting this chicken outfit to become his own boss.
00:10
Chicken out
is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
10.
Idioms chicken out, Slang.
a.
to refrain from doing something because of fear or cowardice: I chickened out when I saw how deep the water was.
b.
to renege or withdraw: You can't chicken out of this business deal now.
11.
count one's chickens before they are hatched, to rely on a benefit that is still uncertain: They were already spending in anticipation of their inheritance, counting their chickens before they were hatched.
Origin:
before 950; 1605–15 for def 5a; 1940–45 for def 7; Middle English chiken, Old English cīcen; akin to Middle Dutch kieken (Dutch kuiken), Low German küken
before 950; 1605–15 for def 5a; 1940–45 for def 7; Middle English chiken, Old English cīcen; akin to Middle Dutch kieken (Dutch kuiken), Low German küken
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To chicken out
Collins
World English Dictionary
chicken (ˈtʃɪkɪn) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a domestic fowl bred for its flesh or eggs, esp a young one |
| 2. | the flesh of such a bird used for food |
| 3. | any of various similar birds, such as a prairie chicken |
| 4. | slang a cowardly person |
| 5. | slang a young inexperienced person |
| 6. | slang an underage boy or girl regarded as a potential target for sexual abuse |
| 7. | informal any of various, often dangerous, games or challenges in which the object is to make one's opponent lose his nerve |
| 8. | count one's chickens before they are hatched to be overoptimistic in acting on expectations which are not yet fulfilled |
| 9. | informal (Brit) like a headless chicken disorganized and uncontrolled |
| 10. | slang no chicken, no spring chicken no longer young: she's no chicken |
| —adj | |
| 11. | slang easily scared; cowardly; timid |
| [Old English ciecen; related to Old Norse kjūklingr gosling, Middle Low German küken chicken] | |
| chicken out | |
| —vb | |
| informal (intr, adverb) to fail to do something through fear or lack of conviction | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
chicken
O.E. cycen "young fowl," which in M.E. came to mean "young chicken," then any chicken, from W.Gmc. *kiukinam, from base *keuk- (possibly root of cock, of echoic origin) + dim. suffix. Sense of "cowardly" is at least as old as 14c.; the v. meaning "to back down or fail through cowardice" is from 1943,
U.S. slang; as a game of danger to test courage, it is first recorded 1953. Chicken hawk "public person who advocates war but who declined significant opportunity to serve in uniform during wartime" is attested from at least 1988, Amer.Eng. Chicken feed "paltry sum of money" is from 1904. Chickweed (c.1440) was in O.E. cicene mete "chicken food."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
chicken definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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chicken out (of (sth)) definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
chicken out
Back out from fear, lose one's nerve, as in In the end I chickened out and took the easier route down the mountain. Chicken is a popular synonym for "cowardly," a usage arising in the 1600s and 1700s but then apparently abandoned until the 20th century. [Slang; c. 1930]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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