Definition

1. Noun:
   • A young chicken bred for eating: A chicken, typically under 10 weeks old, that is slaughtered for its tender meat.
   • A young or inexperienced person: (Informal, often humorous or ironic) Used to refer to someone who is young, especially when suggesting they lack experience or are not as young as they think.

Usage and Examples

• Literal meaning (young chicken):

  • The recipe calls for a spring chicken, not a mature hen.
  • We roasted a spring chicken for dinner.

• Figurative meaning (young person):

  • He's no spring chicken, but he can still run a marathon. (This is an idiom implying he is not young.)
  • Don't try to fool me with that story; I'm no spring chicken, you know. (Used to assert that one is not naive or inexperienced.)

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• The phrase is most commonly used in the negative form "no spring chicken" to humorously or pointedly state that someone is not young.
  • That car is no spring chicken; it's over 20 years old. (The idiom can be extended to objects to mean 'not new'.)
• It can carry a slightly dismissive or teasing tone when referring to someone's age or experience.

Variants and Related Words

• Chicken: The general term for the bird.
• Pullet: A young hen, especially one less than one year old.
• Fryer/roaster: Terms for chickens of specific ages and weights suitable for frying or roasting, often synonymous with 'spring chicken'.

Synonyms

• Youth: A young person (more formal).
• Youngster: A young person.
• Fledgling: A young bird or an inexperienced person (can be metaphorical).
• Tenderfoot: A newcomer or inexperienced person (often in a specific context like camping).

Idioms and Fixed Phrases

• No spring chicken: The primary idiom. It means not young anymore.
  • She started her own company at 50, proving she's no spring chicken but full of energy.
• (To be) a spring chicken: Used literally or, less commonly, to affirm someone's youth (often in negative constructions or questions).
  • What do you mean, 'old'? You're still a spring chicken!

Noun

1. a young chicken having tender meat
2. a young person (especially a young man or boy)