Chicken out

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Chicken out

means to suddenly become too scared or nervous to do something—usually at the last minute. 

Examples:

1- I almost got a tattoo in Thailand… but when I saw the needle, I chickened out.

2- The new intern was supposed to give a speech, but he chickened out and said he had a sore throat.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to Daily English! Today’s expression is: chicken out. Once again: chicken out

Can you guess what it means? 

Your friend buys tickets for skydiving. She’s super excited. But when the plane is up in the sky and the door opens… she suddenly says, “Nope! I can’t do this!” she chickens out

A teenage boy stands outside the classroom with flowers, ready to ask his crush out. He waits… waits… and then turns around and walks away without saying a word. He chickens out

So What does “chicken out” mean?

To chicken out means to suddenly become too scared or nervous to do something—usually at the last minute. It’s informal, and a little funny. You had a plan, but you got cold feet and backed out.

Let’s dive into some examples:

I almost got a tattoo in Thailand… but when I saw the needle, I chickened out.

The new intern was supposed to give a speech, but he chickened out and said he had a sore throat.

I told myself I’d quit sugar this week… but I chickened out the moment I saw chocolate cake.

This phrase comes from the idea of calling someone a “chicken” to mean they’re afraid. So when you “chicken out,” you’re backing out because of fear—just like a scared little chicken.

And now, your turn:

Have you ever chickened out of something? Maybe a roller coaster? A speech? Telling someone the truth?