spring chicken
Americannoun
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a young chicken, especially a broiler or fryer.
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Slang. a young person.
I don't know his age, but he's no spring chicken.
noun
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Also called: springer. a young chicken, tender for cooking, esp one from two to ten months old
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informal she is no longer young
Etymology
Origin of spring chicken
An Americanism dating back to 1835–45
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.
“I’m not a 22-year-old spring chicken anymore. I’m 31 and I got to find a way to stay fresh and stay warm.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 5, 2024
Mr Biden turns 81 on Monday, making him the oldest president ever, with Mr Trump no spring chicken at 77.
From BBC • Nov. 19, 2023
It is worth noting that Trọng himself is no spring chicken, at 79 years old.
From Slate • Sep. 11, 2023
Especially if Trump, at 76 no spring chicken himself, is in the race.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 27, 2023
“Besides, think of your future. You’re no spring chicken at sixty-nine, and very soon, you’re going to be where you don’t make the rules.”
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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.
