headless chickenn.

Brit.

/ˌhɛdləs ˈtʃɪk(ᵻ)n/, U.S.

/ˌhɛdləs ˈtʃɪk(ə)n/

Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: headless adj., chicken n.

Etymology: < headless adj. + chicken n., with allusion to the phenomenon whereby a chicken can move about for a short time after decapitation, due to reflex activity of the nervous system.

colloquial.

1. In similative phrases denoting frantic, unthinking, and often futile activity, esp. in running around like a headless chicken and variants.

ΚΠ

1570 T. North tr. A. F. Doni Morall Philos. i. f. 18 This yong man flight with feare..ranne round about like a headlesse flie.]

1870 Christian Union 15 Jan. 35/2 The Church is without a head. It flounders about like a headless chicken.

1905 R. W. Chambers Reckoning xi. 274 Like a headless chicken he tumbles about New York, seeing, hearing nothing.

1966 R. L. Gale Barron's Simplified Approach to Red Badge of Courage 53 He soon is terrified by the sudden attack and, seeing the others do the same, throws away his rifle and runs like a rabbit, a headless chicken, a blind man.

2010 Daily Tel. 9 Mar. 17/3 But all I saw was her running around like a headless chicken, greeting patients briefly.

2. A person, group, etc., engaged in frantic but purposeless activity.rare before late 20th cent.

ΚΠ

1924 N.Y. Times 21 Oct. 3/ (heading) Dr. MacCracken explains. Referred to country, not Coolidge, as headless chicken.

1977 Economist 21 May 122/2 [He] is one of the more frantic of the headless chickens.

1993 Sun 31 May 35/1 He let fly, accusing them of being headless chickens, of forgetting everything they had worked for and conceding a Sunday parks goal.

2004 G. R. Wainwright Headless Chickens, Laidback Bears Introd. 1 Improve your use of time and you will cease to be one of life's headless chickens who dash round looking busy but achieving little.

Compounds

attributive. Designating behaviour, practices, etc., characterized by frantic and purposeless activity.

ΚΠ

1943 P. T. Young Emotion in Man & Animal ii. 92 In contrast with reflexive behavior of the headless-chicken type, goal-oriented activity is observed to be persistently directed.

1997 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 8 Feb. 12 [The television programme's] liveness added little because this was a headless chicken operation with half-baked ideas naffly executed.

2010 K. Maloney & P. Stanford You can manage People i. 55 We have witnessed managers doing this good stuff but falling into the trap of headless chicken management.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	headless chicken
释义	headless chickenn. Brit. /ˌhɛdləs ˈtʃɪk(ᵻ)n/, U.S. /ˌhɛdləs ˈtʃɪk(ə)n/ Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: headless adj., chicken n. Etymology: < headless adj. + chicken n., with allusion to the phenomenon whereby a chicken can move about for a short time after decapitation, due to reflex activity of the nervous system. colloquial. 1. In similative phrases denoting frantic, unthinking, and often futile activity, esp. in running around like a headless chicken and variants. ΚΠ 1570 T. North tr. A. F. Doni Morall Philos. i. f. 18 This yong man flight with feare..ranne round about like a headlesse flie.] 1870 Christian Union 15 Jan. 35/2 The Church is without a head. It flounders about like a headless chicken. 1905 R. W. Chambers Reckoning xi. 274 Like a headless chicken he tumbles about New York, seeing, hearing nothing. 1966 R. L. Gale Barron's Simplified Approach to Red Badge of Courage 53 He soon is terrified by the sudden attack and, seeing the others do the same, throws away his rifle and runs like a rabbit, a headless chicken, a blind man. 2010 Daily Tel. 9 Mar. 17/3 But all I saw was her running around like a headless chicken, greeting patients briefly. 2. A person, group, etc., engaged in frantic but purposeless activity.rare before late 20th cent. ΚΠ 1924 N.Y. Times 21 Oct. 3/ (heading) Dr. MacCracken explains. Referred to country, not Coolidge, as headless chicken. 1977 Economist 21 May 122/2 [He] is one of the more frantic of the headless chickens. 1993 Sun 31 May 35/1 He let fly, accusing them of being headless chickens, of forgetting everything they had worked for and conceding a Sunday parks goal. 2004 G. R. Wainwright Headless Chickens, Laidback Bears Introd. 1 Improve your use of time and you will cease to be one of life's headless chickens who dash round looking busy but achieving little. Compounds attributive. Designating behaviour, practices, etc., characterized by frantic and purposeless activity. ΚΠ 1943 P. T. Young Emotion in Man & Animal ii. 92 In contrast with reflexive behavior of the headless-chicken type, goal-oriented activity is observed to be persistently directed. 1997 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 8 Feb. 12 [The television programme's] liveness added little because this was a headless chicken operation with half-baked ideas naffly executed. 2010 K. Maloney & P. Stanford You can manage People i. 55 We have witnessed managers doing this good stuff but falling into the trap of headless chicken management. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.1870
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