Have you ever heard of the famous fairy tale “Chicken Little” which is about a cowardly chicken who thinks the sky is falling. It seems that people have long associated chickens with cowardice, as this story was written in the 1800s. Chickens are an easy target for predators and need protection. Perhaps this is due to their small size and inability to fly. If you get scared by something that would probably frighten chicken little, then you chickened out. Just think, “what would chicken little do.”
Definition
To chicken out: to decide not to do something because you’re afraid
To chicken out: 何かをするのが怖くなってやめてしまうこと
Examples
Example 1: I was going to take a ride on Geoff’s motorcycle, but I chickened out when he gave me a helmet to wear.
ジェフのバイクに乗ろうと思っていたけど、彼がヘルメットを被らせてくれた時怖くなってやめちゃったんだ。
Example 2: My little brother wants to go skydiving, but he gets scared easily. I won’t be surprised if he chickens out.
Example 3: I was looking forward to the haunted house, but my girlfriend chickened out at the last minute.
