chicken hawk
Americannoun
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Also called hen hawk. (not used scientifically) any of various hawks said to prey on poultry.
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Slang. an older man who seeks out young boys as sexual partners.
Etymology
Origin of chicken hawk
An Americanism dating back to 1820–30
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.
CHAY-DA-GAHI, which translates to "turtle," came to mean a tank, while a GINI, "chicken hawk" in English, became a dive bomber.
From Reuters • Jun. 5, 2014
Mr. Mitchell’s signature grin was replaced by the avid glare of a chicken hawk circling the henhouse.
From New York Times • Apr. 18, 2010
Some jazz critics claimed Sarah, gliding through her two-octave range with the confident swoop of a chicken hawk, can not only stop at quarter tones en route, but even at eighths.
From Time Magazine Archive
George Gattling, an otherwise sober, hardworking owner of an auto-seatcover business in Gainesville, Fla., is determined to train a red-tailed chicken hawk, which he keeps perched on his wrist.
From Time Magazine Archive
I perked up like our old hens did when a chicken hawk came flying around.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
