scarce

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(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.

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

(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

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

good men are scarce

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.

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."

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

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

rare as hen's teeth

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.

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.

make yourself scarce

surreptitiously disappear; keep out of the way. informal

See also: make, scarce

(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.

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

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

make (oneself) scarce

Informal

1. To stay away; be absent or elusive.

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

See also: make, scarce

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

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

References in periodicals archive ?

Mr Lelatisitswe wanted to know the resources and number of children per school, the qualification of teachers and whether they were paid scarce skills allowance.

Motsumi JSS does not have special unit

It's a welcome new track, and it's important to invest in both the recycling and substitution of scarce metals from now on."

Chalmers researchers say carbon nanomaterials could replace scarce metals

galiciana is a very local and scarce plant only present in mountainous areas of the NW Iberian Peninsula and P.

Pilosella argyrogaliciana, P. argyrolegionensis and P. megargyrocoma (Asteraceae): three new species from the Cantabrian Mountains (N. Spain)/Pilosella argyrogaliciana, P. argyrolegionensis y P. megargyrocoma (Asteraceae): tres nuevas especies de la Cordillera Cantdbrica (N Espana)

What researchers learn from the Boston College struggle, Scarce said, depends on whether they approach their work with realism or idealism.

Researchers balance realism, idealism and risk to sources

Participants were randomly assigned to a two-level (scarcity: not scarce versus scarce) between-subjects design.

Narcissists as consumers: the effects of perceived scarcity on processing of product information

Under the proposal, operators in India's congested and cut-throat mobile market would be allowed to pool and later trade scarce cellular spectrum for "optimal" use of the airwaves, Sibal told a news confer ence.

India unveils policy for tainted telecom sector

NFU senior legal adviser James Potter said: "We are pleased that the Government has listened to our calls to exempt occupations in this scarce category from the new visa caps."

Exemption for shearers

Many types of disasters may lead to scarce resource situations; depending on the situation, the lack of resources could last for only a few hours or it may stretch out over many days.

Scarce resource situations

The World Bank has said that financing for the developing world is scarce.

World Bank says financing for developing world is scarce

SIR - On Radio Wales I heard a person, who was being interviewed regarding more possible powers for the National Assembly, state that the National Assembly should be abolished as it was waste of scarce resources.

Cut out the pomp; LETTERS

Cut capital spending 70% If credit remains scarce 67% Froze or reduced hiring 69% If credit remains scarce 56% Staff reductions/layoffs 58% If credit remains scarce 63% Source: Association for Financial Professionals

Credit crunch consequences

At least 14 of the species found are regionally scarce..

The moths of Tees Valley's industrial sites; Robert Woods reports on his survey of the moths of Teesside's industrial sites

synonyms: rare, scarce, and uncommon mean being in short supply.

rare [1]

"Further they will encourage the larger companies who use significant spectrum and telephone numbers to efficiently utilise theses scarce resources," he said.

Telecom watchdog approves budget

Many states have shored up their capability to respond to a mass-casualty event, but gaps remain and point to a need for "shared guidance" for allocating scarce resources, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report.