fool hen

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noun

any of various grouse, as the spruce grouse, that can be killed easily because of their relative tameness.

Nearby words

foofoo, fool, fool and his money are soon parted, a, fool around, fool away, fool hen, fool's cap, fool's errand, fool's gold, fool's mate, fool's paradise

Origin of fool hen

First recorded in 1750–60

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fool hen

I suppose you didn't notice if you hit that fool-hen, Colonel Cruickshank?
Gold, Gold, in Cariboo!|Clive Phillipps-Wolley
If a poor cackling grouse or "fool-hen" be thrust into the pit, the Indian is almost sure to find a prisoner.
The Story of the Trapper|A. C. Laut
This evening luck had deserted his fishing, so the trapper took a rifle and went into the woods after a fool-hen.
The Maid of the Whispering Hills|Vingie E. Roe