chicken

Study(34)

/ˈt͡ʃɪkɪn/

noun 5adj 1verb 1name 1

Collocations

(noun.) bird

ADJ

battery, corn-fed, free-range

Free-range chickens taste better because they have room to move around and eat natural food.

plump | scrawny

live

The farmer sold live chickens at the market every Saturday morning.

VERB + CHICKEN

keep | kill | pluck

truss (up)

The butcher trussed up the chicken before placing it in the roasting pan.

CHICKEN + VERB

peck

scratch

The chickens scratched in the dirt looking for seeds and insects.

cluck | roost | wander

CHICKEN + NOUN

farmer | coop, run | wire | feed

(noun.) meat

ADJ

fresh, frozen | juicy, succulent, tender | cold

QUANT

piece

VERB + CHICKEN

eat, have | cook | barbecue, fry, grill, roast, etc. | stuff

CHICKEN + NOUN

breast, drumsticks, giblets, joint, leg, liver, piece, thigh, wing | casserole, curry, pie, salad, sandwich, soup, stock

PHRASES

(a) breast/leg of chicken, chicken and chips

Definitions

noun

A domesticated subspecies of red junglefowl (Gallus gallus domesticus).

backyard chickens

barnyard chickens

The meat from this bird eaten as food.

boneless chicken

tastes like chicken

The young of any bird; a chick.

There they are – four ugly little chickens, a bit more than half-feathered, and all gaping mouths and bare bellies.

A coward.

'Why, what a chicken you are! You are not afraid of being robbed; are you?' said Jonas.

Then he had an inspiration. "There is Roxton," said he. "He's not a chicken, but he is a useful man in a row. I think I could get him."

A young or inexperienced person.

Purſue your trade of ſcandal-picking, Your hints, that Stella is no chicken: Your innuendos, when you tell us, That Stella loves to talk with fellows; […]

"This case will make a stir, sir," he remarked. "It beats anything I have seen, and I am no chicken."

adj

Cowardly.

Why do you refuse to fight? Huh, I guess you're just too chicken.

verb

To avoid a situation one is afraid of.

For the umpteenth time, I chickened.

ABE: What are you chucking it for, then? You're running, aren't you? Running, cos you chickened. SLIM: All right, so I chickened.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — the flesh of a chicken used for food

poulet
volaille

noun — a person who lacks confidence, is irresolute and wishy-washy

adjective — easily frightened

chickenhearted
lily-livered
white-livered
yellow
yellow-bellied

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

chicken out

To shy away from a daring task; to decline, refuse, or avoid something due to fear or uncertainty.

We almost convinced his dad to ride the roller coaster, but he chickened out when he saw how high it went.

run around like a chicken with its head cut off

To act in a haphazard or aimless way; to act frantically or without control.

The president doesn't know what to do. He's running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

choke the chicken

To masturbate by stimulating one's penis.

chicken feed

Food (usually grain) given to poultry.

chicken scratch

Chicken feed consisting of random mixed grains such as corn, wheat, barley, sorghum and milling by-products.

A soft odor of chicken scratch, mash, and manure always permeated the air when you approached. Attached to the chicken coop was a smokehouse that contained several smoked ham shoul

Example Bank

backyard chickens

Wiktionary

barnyard chickens

Wiktionary

Some chickens lay eggs almost every day. […] Chickens are kept for their meat, too.

Wiktionary

Why do you refuse to fight? Huh, I guess you're just too chicken.

Wiktionary

For the umpteenth time, I chickened.

Wiktionary

ABE: What are you chucking it for, then? You're running, aren't you? Running, cos you chickened. SLIM: All right, so I chickened.

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, chicken is marked as obsolete, derogatory, slang, informal. Watch for register when choosing this word.

Your note

not saved

0 chars