a whistling woman and a crowing hen are neither fit for God nor men
- a whistling woman and a crowing hen are neither fit for God nor men
The rhyme has at least three common variants.
1721 J. KELLY Scottish Proverbs 33 A crooning cow, a crowing Hen and a whistling Maid boded never luck to a House. The two first are reckoned ominous, but the Reflection is on the third.
1850 Notes & Queries 1st ser. II. 164 A whistling woman and a crowing hen, Is neither fit for God nor men.
1891 J. L. KIPLING Beast & Man ii. ‘A whistling woman and a crowing hen are neither fit for God nor men,’ is a mild English saying.
1917 J. C. BRIDGE Cheshire Proverbs 28 A whistling woman and a crowing hen will fear the old lad [the Devil] out of his den.
1933 L. I. WILDER Farmer Boy xi. Royal teased her, Whistling girls and crowing hens Always come to some bad ends.
1979 G. DUFF Country Wisdom (1983) 55 A whistling woman and a crowing hen, Will bring Old Harry out of his den.
1995 B. HOLLAND Endangered Pleasures 116 I was the wrong sex. Boys whistled... As grandmothers used to say, A whistling girl and a crowing hen Both will come to a bad end.
Proverbs new dictionary.
Look at other dictionaries:
God — see you cannot serve God and Mammon where God builds a church, the devil will build a chapel God helps them that help themselves God is high above, and the tsar is far away God made the country, and man made the town … Proverbs new dictionary
hen — see the robin and the wren are God’s cock and hen; the martin and the swallow are God’s mate and marrow a whistling woman and a crowing hen are neither fit for God nor men … Proverbs new dictionary
woman — see a woman, a dog, and a walnut tree, the more you beat them the better they be a woman and a ship ever want mending a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle a woman’s place is in the home a woman’s work is never done … Proverbs new dictionary
Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs, Thematic Index — absence absence makes the heart grow fonder he who is absent is always in the wrong the best of friends must part blue are the hills that are far away distance lends enchantment to the view out of sight, out of mind … Proverbs new dictionary
whistle — see don’t halloo till you are out of the wood a sow may whistle, though it has an ill mouth for it a whistling woman and a crowing hen are neither fit for God nor men it is a poor dog that’s not worth whistling for … Proverbs new dictionary
crow — noun see on the first of March, the crows begin to search hawks will not pick out hawks’ eyes one for the mouse, one for the crow, one to rot, one to grow verb see every cock will crow upon his own dunghill a … Proverbs new dictionary
