The other day, during a conversation with a neighbor, we talked about something in the neighborhood that should be corrected, or at least reported to the HOA. I made the statement that someone should do it, but it wasn\u2019t going to be me. My neighbor responded with, \u201cchicken.\u201d Just that one word \u2014 chicken. Nothing else. But I knew exactly what he was talking about \u2014 he was saying that I was afraid to point this out to the homeowner\u2019s association. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, of course, this got me to wondering how \u201cchicken\u201d came to mean coward, or suggest weakness.
The definition of chicken is a domestic bird used for meat and laying eggs. If you think about it, chickens are very timid, and many things scare or frighten them and actually it\u2019s fairly common to use animals to express human traits, like \u201cstrong as a bear\u201d or \u201csly as a fox.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I found an interesting story about where the term \u201cchickening out\u201d may have come from\u2026.
In 1864 the Union Army provided a chicken to each person who enlisted. He would take the chicken home, clean, dress and cook it for dinner \u2014 there was no refrigeration in those days. The next day he came back to ship off for the Union Army.\u00a0 Should he not come back, his name was printed in the local paper \u2014 at the time that was very shameful for the family name. However, a relative with the same family name could fulfill the Army contract by enlisting instead of the the original person. The Union Army didn\u2019t care as long as they were someone of \u201cworth.\u201d\u00a0
The story describes a farmer in the southern Adirondacks of New York, 39 years old. He left his wife and 4 children to cover a contract to spare the family name the shame and disgrace from a nephew who \u201cchickened out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In ancient times, army officers observed “sacred chicken” before going to battle. The sacred chickens were given grain and if they ate it, the battle commenced, if they didn\u2019t, the armies withdrew from the fight.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Interesting \u2014 and plausible \u2014 explanations as to how the word chicken\u00a0 has come to suggest weakness of some sort. Anyhow, that\u2019s what I found out\u2026. unfortunately these days, when I\u2019m called chicken, it\u2019s usually a reference to me being \u201cno spring chicken.\u201d
\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The other day, during a conversation with a neighbor, we talked about something in the neighborhood that should be corrected, or at least reported to the HOA. I made the statement that someone should do it, but it wasn\u2019t going … Continue reading