hunt and peck
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of hunt and peck
First recorded in 1935–40
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I just kind of hunt and peck now.
From Salon • Jan. 19, 2020
Héloïse, recently plucked from a convent to be married off, has only ever heard organ music; Marianne can hunt and peck her way through Vivaldi on a harpsichord, but that’s about it.
From Slate • Dec. 10, 2019
“He’s aggressive. Before, it seemed like he would hunt and peck a little bit. Now he makes a decision and gets upfield. He’s breaking tackles instead of trying to dance out of things.”
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 27, 2016
Three friendly goats hoping for a handout of lettuce leaves wander over to the fence that pens them in, while a flock of chickens hunt and peck.
From New York Times • Apr. 25, 2013
And back in Washington, the Japanese ambassadors wait for a lackey to hunt and peck his way through an ultimatum that they deliver to the Secretary of State 55 minutes after the attack.
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
