ENGLISH
REFERENCE

up with the chickens

idiom
Meaning

Awake and out of bed early in the morning.


Examples
SIMPLE

Farmers are usually up with the chickens.

CONTEXTUAL

I have a long drive ahead tomorrow, so I need to be up with the chickens.

COMPLEX

Determined to finish the harvest before the storm arrived, the workers were up with the chickens, laboring under the pale light of dawn.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    chicken feed

    A very small or insignificant quantity, especially of money.

  2. 02

    chicken out

    To shy away from a daring task; to decline, refuse, or avoid something due to fear or uncertainty.

  3. 03

    chicken scratch

    Cramped or illegible handwriting.

  4. 04

    choke the chicken

    To masturbate by stimulating one's penis.

  5. 05

    get up with the chickens

    to wake up early

  6. 06

    play chicken

    As a risky test of courage, to drive two vehicles directly toward one another in order to see which driver will swerve away first.

  7. 07

    run around like a chicken with its head cut off

    To act in a haphazard or aimless way; to act frantically or without control.

  8. 08

    the chickens come home to roost

    A person's past wrongdoings will return to negatively affect them.

Last updated April 17, 2026