rubber chicken
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.08 in modern English
28
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A hollow, bright yellow toy or prop depicting a plucked chicken that emits a squeak when squeezed.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The mediocre food served at social events, especially political fundraisers.
Colloquial; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "The hack comic produced a rubber chicken, to the groans and boos of the audience."
- "Men who have squeaked the rubber chicken on Broadway, or wooed humanity with a fringe of swaying, porpoise-hide shoe-laces, were swallowed up in the gray shadows of the storm."
- "The rubber chicken is probably the best example of a prop used for schtick."
- "The bill of fare consisted of an india-rubber chicken and boiled eggs."
- "It was the hoedowns and the caucuses and the rubber chicken dinners and the big DFL blowouts at the Minneapolis Auditorium."
- "She had felt the same way about attending political gatherings—the rubber-chicken luncheons and living room campaign coffee hours— back when Brandon had been a candidate for public office."
Etymology
The name derives from the fact that the quality of the food often served at such events is secondary to the purpose of the events and seldom good.