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Glite Dictionary
cobra chicken

cobra chicken

9.9
A large goose with a long neck that often hisses or chases people
  • noun
  • Slang
translation icon : ganso canadiense
  • The cobra chicken hissed at everyone who came too close to the pond.

Examples

  • Many parks are home to flocks of cobra chickens during the spring.

  • Watch out for that cobra chicken near the pond!

  • I've never seen a cobra chicken chase someone so quickly before!

  • Many people fear the cobra chicken because of its aggressive nature.

  • The cobra chicken flapped its wings aggressively when I approached its nest.

  • It's amusing to watch a cobra chicken chase dog walkers away from its territory.

  • During our hike, we encountered a cobra chicken that seemed ready to defend its space.

Synonyms

Canada goose
vscobra chicken
  • US
3 2.7

A large wild goose from North America with a black head and neck and white cheeks

is a playful slang focusing on aggressive behavior and long neck
Canadian goose
vscobra chicken
  • US
1 3.2

A large wild goose with a black head and white cheek patches that honks loudly and is often near lakes

is a slang name highlighting aggression and long neck rather than neutral species name
honker
vscobra chicken
  • Informal
1 9.3

A Canada goose that makes a loud long sound

is a humorous nickname that instead highlights aggression and long neck

Surface Forms

cobra chicken singular
cobra chickens plural

Morphology

cobra + chicken

The elements 'cobra' (a venomous snake) and 'chicken' (a bird/person) combine to suggest a bird with snake‑like/long‑necked or aggressive qualities, so a learner knowing both words would likely infer a humorous nickname for a bird. However, the specific reference to a Canada goose and the slangy humorous usage are not fully predictable from the parts alone, making it only partially transparent.

Etymology

Cobra chicken is a funny nickname for the 'Canada goose'. People started saying cobra chicken because the bird's long neck and loud hiss look a bit like a small cobra, and calling it a chicken makes the name playful, so the phrase now refers to that aggressive, long-necked bird.