Why does one call a pusillanimous person a chicken? Where did that originate?
Aside from belligerent roosters that might attack a child, chickens are not known as particularly courageous animals.
Because if you called someone pusillanimous they would go huh! Your avarege chicken would not have that word in their vocab.
Mostly cluck cluck.
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What Padeye said just reminded me:
When I was a little kid some neighbor had a hen with 2 chicks; I was not the kind of kid that wanted to harm little animals, just to pet them. So I grabbed one of the chicks and damn! That mother chicken did know how to use her beak! And although I was 4 times as tall as she was, her efforts succeeded in me releasing the little chick to her.
Checking the etymology: “Late Latin pusillanimous, from Latin pusillus very small (diminutive of pusus boy) + animus spirit; perhaps akin to Latin puer child
Date: 1586
: lacking courage and resolution: marked by contemptible timidity” --Merriam-Webster online
In the 14th century the word chicken was mostly applied to the young roosters and hens. And yes, those little ones are indeed pusillanimous. Roosters were considered brave and the chickens were the weak and small ones. Later, the word chicken was applied to the adult birds as well. But I think the connection to the word pusillanimous (little and fearful) was kinda lost when “chicken” began to be applied to the adult birds.
Now a phrase like “Sir Robin was as brave as a rooster, but now he is as brave as a chicken” makes more sence.
I can say from experience that adult chickens are not pusillanimous.
<sigh>