mother hen
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of mother hen
First recorded in 1950–55
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.
For 14 years, as she advanced at The Observer, she said she avoided his desk and chaperoned interns “like a mother hen crossing a busy road.”
From New York Times • May 30, 2023
Studies have shown that calves recover faster after dehorning when allowed to return to their social group, and chicks benefit from being near their mother hen after experiencing a mild stressor.
From Washington Post • Oct. 30, 2022
Early in life, chicks utter distress calls—high-pitched, repetitive chirps—to attract the attention of their mother hen, whom they rely on for warmth and food.
From Science Magazine • Jun. 28, 2022
Uncle Clifford is a taskmistress, but she minds her dancers less in the way of a madam than a mother hen.
From Salon • Jun. 20, 2022
Eddie watched his stove like a mother hen.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
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.
