This is one of the easiest signs of a coward guy to notice. 've heard it a lot of times and wanted to know. They say this is a revived form coming from a noun chicken for one who is as timorous or defenceless as a chicken, used at least as early as 1616, and cite Shakespeare (Cymbeline 1623): 9 years ago. What's the matter, are you chicken ? However, this cannot be as chicken with this definition didn’t pop up until around the mid-20th century. See more words with the same meaning: afraid, scared . The coward today isn't somebody who backed down from a fight, refused to walk into a haunted house or said no to facing the dragon. Favorite Answer. Why is a coward called Chicken? Those times are long gone. 9 years ago. Well the very first person to refer to a coward as a chicken was William Shakespeare. For example.. What is a coward? For what it is worth, when growing up in England in the 60s and 70s I do not think I ever heard "chicken" used to mean "coward" except in American movies and TV shows. It has been suggested that yellow-bellied, meaning a coward, may have been inspired by chicken egg yolks being yellow and chicken meaning coward. A political overthrow, equals a coup equals cowards or chickens who live in coops. chicken: [adjective] afraid. Police. We don't live in a Game of Throne-esque world where going to a bar means getting Answer Save. Treason is associated with cowardice because it is an attempt to overthrow the existing government. 0 1 0. It fucking does not. Everybody knows that the greatest minds in the world have achieved a lot by taking risks and believing in themselves. chicken: [adjective] afraid. Hello I wonder if in your language, you also use the image of a chicken or a hen to refer to a coward. The OED says this verb chicken is slang of US origin with a first quotation from 1943 (I. Wolfert, Torpedo 8):. Relevance. Thus the early use to mean a girl or woman, which would become the more recent chick. They are absolutely terrified of everything. If you move too quickly it scares them and they go running. What's the matter, are you chicken ? A coward is afraid of lots of things that aren’t scary at all. I just wanted to..make sure you weren't chickening out on me. If it is used in Britain now, it is probably because it has been picked up from these American sources. I forgot what … They’re usually just wimpy little kids. That is what it derived from, and farmers have been chopping off the heads of chickens for a long time. The Yahoo! That is what it derived from, and farmers have been chopping off the heads of chickens for a long time. When person 1 doesn't want to do something, person 2 says "bok bok bok" and does chicken gestures. Lv 7. That’s a circle of cowards and the coward vibe won’t die off soon because no one dares to do a damn thing. Because when a chicken feels threatened it runs away. Also referred to when two cars are doing the same thing, only driving over a cliff or ledge. 2 Answers. Cowards run away willy-nilly, as do chickens when they get their heads chopped off. 1) - An animal that is processed for human consumption 2) - A dangerous game in two cars will drive directly at each other and the first to swerve out of the way is the "chicken". Yellow equals chicken equals coward. The coward wouldn’t dare to ask the girl out, but then comforts himself and pats himself on the back because all his friends believe the same. Instead of fixing whatever problems there may be my a majority of citizens, the cowards trick others into treasonist acts. An example of a coward is Tyler Joseph.Tyler Joseph, the singer from twenty one pilots is a big fat coward. An example of a coward is Tyler Joseph.Tyler Joseph, the singer from twenty one pilots is a big fat coward. A coward is a person who will always choose to play safe in any situation and is never bold enough to take any risk. See more words with the same meaning: afraid, scared . Why a chicken? A coward is afraid of lots of things that aren’t scary at all. My girls freaked out when I wore a skirt around them for the first time. Login to reply the answers Post; Anonymous. The name "chicken" has its origins in a game in which two drivers drive towards each other on a collision course: one must swerve, or both may die in the crash, but if one driver swerves and the other does not, the one who swerved will be called a "chicken", meaning a coward; this terminology is most prevalent in political science and economics. Have you ever seen a chicken? They’re usually just wimpy little kids.