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.
Not so long ago, Cooper’s hawks were known as chicken hawks and were hunted to near extinction because they preyed on farmers’ flocks.
From Seattle Times
So now today, the chicken hawks are crowing again.
From Washington Times
Between September and March, palomeros are especially cautious, because chicken hawks and peregrine falcons are on the hunt.
From Washington Times
You want to know what else Trump and his lily-livered bunch of chicken hawks are going to do?
From Salon
During the debate, she called for scaling back of U.S. military presence abroad and accused “this president and his chicken hawk cabinet have led us to the brink of war with Iran.”
From Fox News
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.
