hen's tooth
Anything not naturally occurring.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Finding a cheap apartment in this city is as rare as a hen's tooth.”
“Good mechanics are like a hen's tooth in this remote town, so we wait weeks for repairs.”
“In a market flooded with mass-produced goods, an authentic handmade watch has become as rare as a hen's tooth.”
A jocular reference to a non-existent phenomenon, as birds possess bills in place of teeth. The idiom serves as a comparison to other impossibilities, such as *horsefeathers* or the flight of pigs.
- 01
an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
compensation for injury caused by a person, in the form of inflicting of an identical injury on that person.
- 02
clean as a hound's tooth
Very clean.
- 03
long in the tooth
Old; aged.
- 04
mother hen
An outspoken and overprotective woman or person dealing with others' affairs; especially, an assertive matriarch.
- 05
salty tooth
A liking for foods that are salty.
- 06
sour tooth
A liking for foods that are sour.
- 07
spicy tooth
A liking for foods that are spicy.
- 08
sweet tooth
A liking for foods that are sweet; a weakness for sweets.
Last updated August 10, 2026