slim as a hen's hiney
- idiom
- Informal
:
pocas posibilidades
- With four minutes left and ten points behind, their chances were slim as a hen's hiney.
Examples
-
She is slim as a hen's hiney after her diet!
-
The odds of rain in the desert this month are slim as a hen's hiney.
-
Getting tickets at this late hour is slim as a hen's hiney.
-
His chances of winning are slim as a hen's hiney.
-
The odds of getting a seat on the bus during rush hour are slim as a hen's hiney.
-
With so many applicants, my chances of getting hired are slim as a hen's hiney.
-
The likelihood of finding a parking spot in this area on a Saturday is slim as a hen's hiney.
Synonyms
487
1.9
People do not expect it to happen or be true
87
2.0
Small in amount or number, not large
10
3.4
A very small possibility that something will happen
7
3.5
Small in amount or value
2
8.1
A way to say something is very unlikely to happen
Antonyms
How Thin
- Informal
8
7.8
- Informal
9
5.6
- Informal
1
7.0
60
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'extremely slim' is directly inferable from the parts: 'slim' (small) compared to a hen's 'hiney' (a very small/localised part), so the overall simile evokes extreme thinness or a very small likelihood. Although colloquial and regionally humorous, the comparison is literal and compositional, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can reasonably derive the intended meaning.
Etymology
The saying slim as a hen's hiney comes from a simple farm image: a hen's hiney, her small rear, looks very narrow, so the idea is of something tiny or almost not there. That's why saying something is slim as a hen's hiney means it is 'extremely small' or 'very unlikely'.