| 词汇 | rare/scarce as hen's teeth |
| 释义 | (as) rare as hens' teethIncredibly scarce or rare; extremely difficult or impossible to find. Support for the president is as rare as hens' teeth in this part of the country. *scarce as hen's teethand scarcer than hen's teethCliché scarce; seldom found. (*Also: as ~.) I do declare, decent people are as scarce as hen's teeth in these chaotic times. Handmade lace is scarcer than hen's teeth; most lace is made by machine. scarce as hen's teethAlso, scarcer than hen's teeth. Exceptionally rare, as in On a rainy night, taxis are as scarce as hen's teeth. Since hens have no teeth, this term in effect says that something is so scarce as to be nonexistent. [Mid-1800s] rare as hen's teethorscarce as hen's teethOLD-FASHIONEDIf something is as rare as hen's teeth or as scarce as hen's teeth, it is extremely rare. Record companies are becoming as rare as hen's teeth. Note: Hens do not have teeth. rare (or scarce) as hen's teethextremely rare.As hens do not possess teeth, the implication is that something is rare to the point of non-existence. The phrase was originally a US colloquialism, dating from the mid 19th century. (as) rare/scarce as hen’s ˈteeth(old-fashioned) extremely rare: Critics always complain that good movies that the whole family can see together are as scarce as hen’s teeth.This refers to the fact that hens do not have teeth. scarce as hen's teethSingularly rare. Also put as scarcer than hen’s teeth, this allusion to nonexistent dentition is an Americanism of the nineteenth century. It appeared in James Gilmore’s My Southern Friends (1863): “Horses are scarcer than hen’s teeth around here.” scarce as hen's teethNonexistent. Hens have no teeth, so what could possibly be scarcer? (Stones in their gizzards act as teeth to grind their food). |
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