hen tracks

plural noun

Slang.

1. illegible or barely legible handwriting.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hen tracks¹

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10

Example Sentences

I wrote it down in the "hen tracks" of short-hand which are now difficult to decipher.

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At the first rehearsal of Goldman's own band, the players found their parts a mass of hen tracks in red ink, detailed instructions for phrasing, etc.

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"By jigger, now, I wonder what those hen tracks mean?" he uttered musingly.

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And right where the mat had lain—so near that we could reach out and take it—was a letter; and the letter was addressed, in big scrawling characters that looked very much indeed like "hen tracks," to Miss Bessie Rathbun, Featherdale.

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“If you didn’t know my name was Braxton, I’ll bet you wouldn’t recognize these hen tracks.”

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