fool hen

American  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of fool hen

First recorded in 1750–60

Example Sentences

"Dis yere hen allus was a fool hen," Ivy vouchsafed, "givin' trouble an' agony to us-all."

From A Son of the Hills by Comstock, Harriet T. (Harriet Theresa)

He followed the hunting, living chiefly on rabbits and that simple-minded species of partridge known as the "fool hen."

From Baree, Son of Kazan by Curwood, James Oliver

While we were unloading the horses, a "fool hen" came and lit in a tree near us.

From Cruisings in the Cascades A Narrative of Travel, Exploration, Amateur Photography, Hunting, and Fishing by Shields, George O.

Ptarmigan, wood-duck, sharp-tailed grouse, sage grouse, fool hen and plover.

From Our Vanishing Wild Life Its Extermination and Preservation by Hornaday, William Temple

"That fool hen isn't fully convinced she wants a family," he said.

From Lydia of the Pines by Morrow, Honoré