be no spring chicken
(redirected from are no spring chicken)be no spring chicken
slang To no longer be young or youthful. (A "spring chicken" refers to a young chicken.) I'm no spring chicken, so I can't stay out till 2 AM drinking and dancing anymore.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
be ˌno spring ˈchicken
(humorous) be no longer young: I’m no spring chicken, but I still like going on long walks. ♢ Are you sure he should be playing squash at his age? He’s no spring chicken, you know!Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
no spring chicken, (she's)
No longer young. This unflattering remark has been made since the early eighteenth century and, as far as can be gathered, is applied mostly to women. Men seldom are accused of aging in just this way. In print, it appeared (without “spring”) in Addison and Steele’s The Spectator (1711) and soon after was taken up by Jonathan Swift in Stella’s Birthday (1720): “Pursue your trade of scandal-picking, Your hints that Stella is no chicken.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer