English Idiom – Chicken.
A coward. Someone who is nervous, timid or afraid. If you call someone a chicken, you’re teasing them for being scared – or trying to push them into being brave.
To chicken out of something is to avoid doing it because you’re afraid: “He was going to ask her out, but he chickened out.” We could also say he got cold feet (idiom).
Other Words for a Coward:
- Scaredy-cat – a childish, teasing word for someone easily frightened.
- Yellow-belly – a coward.
Chickens in the English Language:
- A chicken-and-egg situation – when it’s impossible to say which of two things caused the other.
- Chickens come home to roost – you have to face the consequences of your past mistakes.
- Don’t count your chickens before they hatch (proverb) – don’t rely on something until it has actually happened.
- Chicken feed – a very small amount of money.
- Run around like a headless chicken – act in a panicky, disorganised way.
- No spring chicken – no longer young.
Usage:
- Someone is too scared to go to the dentist.
- Someone is afraid of something fairly harmless.
- You’re encouraging a nervous friend to join in.
Example:
- “We’ve come all this way to do a bungee jump. Stop being such a chicken and get ready to jump!”
Learn More
Look it upChicken outWiktionaryWhat is an idiom?
An idiom is a word or phrase that is not taken literally. An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its individual words, but has a separate meaning of its own.
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Frequently Asked Questions
A coward – someone who is too afraid to do something.
To decide not to do something because you are scared.
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