hen hawk
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of hen hawk
An Americanism dating back to 1800–10
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.
The hen hawk is so named because he rarely or never catches a hen or a chicken.
From My Boyhood by Burroughs, John
Run for a gun! there a hen hawk flies!
From Memories and Anecdotes by Sanborn, Kate
But before that I was once scared into a panic by a high-soaring hen hawk.
From My Boyhood by Burroughs, John
"You never made a greater mistake," says E. E., fierce as a hen hawk.
From Phemie Frost's Experiences by Stephens, Ann S. (Ann Sophia)
A horned owl perched beside him, and on a branch just above him a hen hawk alighted.
From The Wonderful Adventures of Nils by Howard, Velma Swanston
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.
