chicken snake

Save This Word!

noun

a striped rat snake, Elaphe obsoleta, of the southeastern United States, reaching a length of 4 to 7 feet (1.2 to 2.1 meters).

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

Origin of chicken snake

An Americanism dating back to 1700–10

Wearing the right foot of a chicken was considered good luck.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While the chicken today might be the least exotic bird one can think of, it was once a gift that wowed kings.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The chicken, to this day, is valued for its medicinal properties.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In Rome, he writes, the chicken “predicted the outcome of battles.”
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Lawler is more interested in the more fascinating story of how the chicken spread.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Squinty could look out, but the slats were as close together as those in a chicken coop, and the little pig could not get out.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
He heard Mohammedans alluding to a Brahmin as a leader—so might a wolf and a snake make common alliance against a watch dog.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
On his loins was a lion of great fierceness, and coiled round his waist was a hissing mamba (snake).
Uncanny Tales|Various
So Hettie put the chicken in a cage, with some wool to cover it, and fed it several times every day, till it came to know her.
The Nursery, July 1873, Vol. XIV. No. 1|Various
Lyn was no chicken-hearted weakling, to sit down and weep unavailingly in time of peril.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair