"Like a chicken with its head cut off."
Sometimes events in life can introduce chaos or confusion and cause us to hurry as we react. We have an idiom to describe this: “like a chicken with it’s head cut off”.
Those of us who get our chicken from KFC or the store, we really don’t appreciate how chickens are slaughtered, but of course it starts decapitation and a headless chicken is the result.
For a brief period of time, the headless chicken may be able to run about before it succumbs to death, probably a brief muscular reaction because the chicken’s head has been severed.
“Like a chicken with it’s head cut off” means to run about without purpose, aimlessly, or frantically in confusion. It is used to describe someone who doesn’t know what do to because they are in a frenzy.
Examples: ”When Mr. MacCowan realized that he lost his passport, he ran about like a chicken with its head cut off. It was hard to get him to calm down.”
“Would you get a hold of yourself! You’re running around like a chicken with its head cut off. You can’t think clearly when you panic.”
What are some situations that you have observed when people run around like a chicken with its head cut off? If you write about it in the comment section, I’ll let you know how you did. I’m sure you’ll do fine!
Is there a way to say “like a chicken with its head cut off” in Chinese?
VOCABULARY
- chaos – something that is totally unorganized, complete confusion
- decapitation – the removal of one’s head, usually by the use of an ax or sword or other sharp tool.
- succumb – to give in to, to surrender
- sever – to cut a connection with something or someone, to sever a chicken’s head is to remove its head from its body.
- frantically – fast and nervous, disordered, or anxiety-driven activity ” she made a frantic search for the lost child”
- frenzy – a time of uncontrolled and wild activity, ”Black Friday can be a shopping frenzy.”
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Normally I would comment right after reading your articles,but I didn’t yesterday because this proverb seemed far-fetched and boring,funny and wordy.I thought Nobody would use this proverb to describe something.A thought just came to my mind this morning, it is identical to the Chinese proverb “没头儿苍蝇”,which is commonly used in daily life. It is amazing that imagination of human being are pretty much the same,Discovering similar proverbs in different languages confirms to me the human experience we all share.
The idioms, proverbs are always keeping me on my toes
@frank panda.
I believe that I tried to find a video of a chicken with its head cut off on Youku.com, but
wasn’t able too. I suppose I’d get along better if I could type Chinese better!
There are plenty of videos on YouTube showing this, but I could understand
if someone found it a bit hard to believe!
please let me know next time if you would like to find some videos on Youku,it is my pleasure to for me help you to return your favor:-)
I just searched youku and other video website but found nothing helpful there.the reason might be simple,what would you think of “Like a fly with its head cut off”,you might feel it doesn’t make any sense,but it evokes vivid image in my mind,though it might be very hard or boring to do such a experiment to see how a fly run around with its head off,so No Result Found either:-）
@frank panda
Thanks for the offer! I just may take you up on this. The only videos I’m currently using are for Yolinko.com,
but then I have a interest in posting those in a blog!