It’s the chicks’ birthday so let’s talk all things chicken!

I bet you didn’t realize there were so many idioms that involved chickens and poultry. ?

Keep reading to see how many you know, and maybe even learn a new saying or two! I did!

Don’t Count Your Chickens…

First, what’s an idiom? It’s an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words, but that has a separate meaning of its own. Many (although not all) idioms are examples of figurative language. I’ve gathered lots of figurative chicken sayings for your reading pleasure!
Don’t let the fox guard the henhouse – don’t assign the duty of protecting or controlling valuable information or resources to someone who is likely to exploit that opportunity ?
Nest egg – a sum of money saved for the future ?
Scratching out a living – to earn enough to get by on
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket – don’t depend on a single person or plan of action for your success ?
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch – don’t be too confident in anticipating success or good fortune before it is certain ?
Chicken feed – a small amount of money ?
Feather your nest – make money, usually illicitly and at someone else’s expense ?
Laid an egg – do something poorly or give a bad performance, failed at something
Flew the coop – gone, escaped
Run like a chicken with its head cut off – move or run around in an uncontrolled way, to be in a hurry
Like a hen with one chick – extremely anxious or overprotective person
Scarce as hen’s teeth – extremely hard to find
Henpecked – nagged or bullied
Up with the chickens – to wake up at a particularly early hour, especially at or before sunrise (we have lazy chickens who don’t get up early!) ☀️
Go to bed with the chickens – going to bed early or around sunset (ours are in before sunset!) ?
Shake a tail feather – get moving, dance ?
Strutting your stuff – showing off
Sunny side up – a cheerful attitude ?
Hard-boiled – tough attitude
Bird brain – senseless (chickens are actually really smart!) ?
You’re chicken – scared, a coward ?
Chicken out – not follow through
The chickens have come home to roost – your past is catching up with you
No spring chicken – you’re old ?
Like a chicken on a June bug – very quickly
Hatch an idea – put a plan into motion
Egg on your face – caught in a lie
Put up a squawk – argue
Rule the roost – be the boss
Brood over it – worry about a problem ?
Stuck in your craw – upset and won’t verbalize what’s going on, carry a grudge
Bad egg – less than honest person, someone with poor morals
Cock and bull story – tall tale or elaborate lie
Nesting behavior – preparing a home, especially a pregnant mom before the baby is due ?
Empty nest syndrome – loneliness after children leave home
Hatching rooster eggs – wasting time and/or resources
Madder than a wet hen – intense anger ?
Writing looks like chicken scratch – describing writing that’s messy or difficult to read
Hen party – social gathering for women (who’s ready to party?) ?
A chicken and egg situation – a problem that is difficult to diagnose, usually when two things happen simultaneously and it’s difficult to distinguish which one is the true cause of the problem
If it ain’t chickens, it’s feathers – there’s always a problem
Pecking order – heirarchy of a group (it’s a real thing with chickens!)
Wing it – to try your best even though you haven’t had much time to prepare

“I dream of a better tomorrow where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thanks for reading (and sharing!) Fowl Language

It’s time to wish our two sweet girls a very happy 3rd birthday! Thought you might like to see a baby pic of them… so cute!??

It’s not too hard to “get my chickens in a row” these days, but both Burp-Burp and Tipsy are enjoying the warmer weather and are laying on a regular basis. (We actually had to buy a few dozen eggs (gasp!) over the winter months.)

And, btw, the #jollychickens gotta eat… and contrary to popular belief, chicken scratch ain’t cheap (neither are fake plastic eggs filled with candy and money), so I appreciate referrals! ??

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I solve one big problem for my clients: I keep their message edited, elevated, and effective by providing excellent editing + proofreading + content writing services. A well-edited piece is as satisfying as a coop full of contented hens! So, step into my henhouse, shake off the dust, and let me help you cultivate your best writing yet.

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