run around like a headless chicken

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kilroy65

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Is this simile still in use today? To my great relief, I haven't heard it for years. I find it quite sickening (bad childhood memories).
 

emsr2d2

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I use it regularly.
 

probus

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I haven't heard it in years either. I suspect it is fading from use as "factory farming" of chickens continues to increase. In my region some people are willing to pay substantially more for free-range chickens and eggs. Their reasons are ethical: they feel that most chicken is produced inhumanely.
 

Tdol

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I hear it used and use it, so it may be more common in the UK.
 

Skrej

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It's still fairly common in at least some parts of the US. You sometimes hear the slightly wordier version of 'running around like a chicken with its head cut off'.
 

GoesStation

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It's still fairly common in at least some parts of the US. You sometimes hear the slightly wordier version of 'running around like a chicken with its head cut off'.
That's the version I'm used to.
 

Tarheel

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It's still fairly common in at least some parts of the US. You sometimes hear the slightly wordier version of 'running around like a chicken with its head cut off'.

I've seen that happen. It's rather entertaining.
:)
 

Tdol

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Charlie Bernstein

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Is this simile still in use today? To my great relief, I haven't heard it for years. I find it quite sickening (bad childhood memories).
I've never heard "like a headless chicken," so that must be the British version. I agree with Tarheel and Goes. Everywhere in the US I've lived, the expression is "like a chicken with its head cut off."

Yes, it's still used, and yes, the word "like" signals a simile.
 
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