chickenhawk en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
- /ˈt͡ʃɪkɪnˌhɔk/
Etymology
From chicken + hawk. The political sense is derived from figurative meanings of “coward” and “militant” respectively.
Meanings
- Any of the North American hawk species (Cooper's hawk, sharp-shinned hawk and red-tailed hawk), or counterparts elsewhere, mistakenly believed to be pests.
- (US, derogatory) A draft dodger, especially in the Vietnam War, who nonetheless currently supports United States overseas military engagements.
-
(derogatory, slang) An older, usually more powerful man who preys on adolescent boys for sex.
For every instance of Saul's good-humoredly putting one over on the criminal justice system […] to free his younger lover from his latest legal trouble, Rogers recounts callous treatment at the hands of the older man. In addition, Sinbad suffers brutal depredations from the city's other chicken hawks.
1985 August 24, Mark McHarry, “Adult/Youth Sex as Fiction, Fact, and Fate”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 7, page 8:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| chickenhawks | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Translations (12)
fr épervier brun (hawk species) · de Eckschwanzsperber (hawk species) · nl knapenschenner (adult man who seeks out boys as his sexual partners) · cho aka̱kʋbi (hawk species) · nl pedofiel (adult man who seeks out boys as his sexual partners) · es gavilán (hawk species) · ja 若専 (adult man who seeks out boys as his sexual partners) · nv ashiikéyázhí há naalzheehí (adult man who seeks out boys as his sexual partners) · nv tsįyaalzhahí (hawk species) · nl kiekendief (hawk species) · es azor (hawk species) · es rabo verde (adult man who seeks out boys as his sexual partners)