ENGLISH
REFERENCE

mother hen

idiom
Meaning

An outspoken and overprotective woman or person dealing with others' affairs; especially, an assertive matriarch.


Examples
SIMPLE

She acts like a mother hen with her younger brothers.

CONTEXTUAL

Stop being such a mother hen; I am old enough to look after myself.

COMPLEX

The director played the mother hen, fussing over every detail of the actors' lives to ensure they remained focused and safe.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    and his mother

    Serves as an intensifier for an inclusive noun or phrase such as everyone, anyone, each someone or all someones.

  2. 02

    be mother

    To pour out tea for others.

  3. 03

    like mother, like daughter

    A daughter takes after her mother.

  4. 04

    Mother Hubbard

    Empty.

  5. 05

    mother lode

    Any source of valuable or useful material.

  6. 06

    mother of all

    Used before a plural noun to form a compound noun having the sense of: the greatest or largest of (its kind); the most epic example of (its kind).

  7. 07

    patience of Mother Teresa

    A great deal of patience.

  8. 08

    refrigerator mother

    An emotionally frigid mother, who does not exhibit normal care or love for her child or children.

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