scarce

(as) rare as hens' teeth

Incredibly scarce or rare; extremely difficult or impossible to find. Support for the president is as rare as hens' teeth in this part of the country.

See also: rare, teeth

(as) scarce as hens' teeth

Incredibly scarce or rare; extremely difficult or impossible to find. Support for the candidate is as scarce as hens' teeth in this part of the country.

See also: scarce, teeth

be as scarce as hen's teeth

To be incredibly rare; to be extremely difficult or impossible to find. Support for the president is as scarce as hens' teeth in this part of the country.

See also: scarce, teeth

good men are scarce

proverb Few men are ideal romantic partners or workers. If he's got a great resume, then you better hire him—good men are scarce. All right, fine, set me up with your friend—I know good men are scarce.

See also: good, men, scarce

make (oneself) scarce

To leave, hide, or make oneself less visible, typically to avoid something. Lisa's fuming about your text message, so you better make yourself scarce until she calms down. Why is it that when there are chores to do, the kids somehow know to make themselves scarce?

See also: make, scarce

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

Good men are scarce.

 and A good man is hard to find.

Prov. Men who make good husbands or workers are rare. Larry is the best employee I've ever had, and I'll go to a good deal of effort to keep him, because good men are scarce. "I think you should marry John," Sue advised her daughter. "He's a good man, and a good man is hard to find."

See also: good, men, scarce

make oneself scarce

Fig. [for someone] to become difficult to find; [for someone to] go into hiding. Tom is mad and is looking for you. Better make yourself scarce. Make yourself scarce! Here comes the sheriff.

See also: make, scarce

*scarce as hen's teeth

 and scarcer than hen's teeth

Cliché scarce; seldom found. (*Also: as ~.) I do declare, decent people are as scarce as hen's teeth in these chaotic times. Handmade lace is scarcer than hen's teeth; most lace is made by machine.

See also: scarce, teeth

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

make oneself scarce

Depart quickly, go away, as in The children saw Mrs. Frost coming and made themselves scarce. This idiom applies scarce in the sense of "seldom seen" to removing one's presence. [c. 1800]

See also: make, scarce

scarce as hen's teeth

Also, scarcer than hen's teeth. Exceptionally rare, as in On a rainy night, taxis are as scarce as hen's teeth. Since hens have no teeth, this term in effect says that something is so scarce as to be nonexistent. [Mid-1800s]

See also: scarce, teeth

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

rare as hen's teeth

or

scarce as hen's teeth

OLD-FASHIONED

If something is as rare as hen's teeth or as scarce as hen's teeth, it is extremely rare. Record companies are becoming as rare as hen's teeth. Note: Hens do not have teeth.

See also: rare, teeth

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

rare (or scarce) as hen's teeth

extremely rare.

As hens do not possess teeth, the implication is that something is rare to the point of non-existence. The phrase was originally a US colloquialism, dating from the mid 19th century.

See also: rare, teeth

make yourself scarce

surreptitiously disappear; keep out of the way. informal

See also: make, scarce

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

(as) rare/scarce as hen’s ˈteeth

(old-fashioned) extremely rare: Critics always complain that good movies that the whole family can see together are as scarce as hen’s teeth.

This refers to the fact that hens do not have teeth.

See also: rare, scarce, teeth

ˌmake yourself ˈscarce

(informal) leave the place you are in in order to avoid an embarrassing or difficult situation: I could see they wanted to be alone, so I made myself scarce.

See also: make, scarce

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

make oneself scarce

tv. to leave; to be in a place less frequently; to be less in evidence. Here come the boys in blue. I’d better make myself scarce.

See also: make, scarce

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

make (oneself) scarce

Informal

1. To stay away; be absent or elusive.

2. To depart, especially quickly or furtively; abscond.

See also: make, scarce

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

scarce as hen's teeth

Singularly rare. Also put as scarcer than hen’s teeth, this allusion to nonexistent dentition is an Americanism of the nineteenth century. It appeared in James Gilmore’s My Southern Friends (1863): “Horses are scarcer than hen’s teeth around here.”

See also: scarce, teeth

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer

scarce as hen's teeth

Nonexistent. Hens have no teeth, so what could possibly be scarcer? (Stones in their gizzards act as teeth to grind their food).

See also: scarce, teeth

Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price Copyright © 2011 by Steven D. Price