chickenhawk

Etymology

chicken + hawk. The political sense is derived from figurative meanings of "chicken" (coward) and "hawk" (militarist).

noun

  1. (US politics, derogatory) A draft dodger, especially in the Vietnam War, who nonetheless currently supports United States overseas military engagements.
  2. (archaic) 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.
  3. (derogatory, gay slang) An older, usually more powerful man who preys on adolescent boys for sex.

Attribution / Disclaimer All definitions come directly from Wiktionary using the Wiktextract library. We do not edit or curate the definitions for any words, if you feel the definition listed is incorrect or offensive please suggest modifications directly to the source (wiktionary/chickenhawk), any changes made to the source will update on this page periodically.