no spring chicken

English

Etymology

From the description of a young person as a spring chicken.

Noun

no spring chicken (uncountable)

1. (informal, litotes) Said of a person who is no longer particularly young.

   Synonym: no longer in the first flush of youth

   Synonyms: coffin dodger, oldster, silver top; see also Thesaurus:old person

   He ran up three flights of stairs, and he's no spring chicken.

   • 1908, Upton Sinclair, chapter 5, in The Money Changers:

     You know the world. You are no spring chicken.

   • 1943 May 10, “The Pot Boils”, in Time:

     A real candidate arose to challenge dapper Robert Rice ("Buncombe Bob") Reynolds, aging coxcomb of the Senate. The candidate, no spring chicken himself: tall, lean Clyde Roark Hoey (pronounced Hooey), 65, one of the most popular Governors the state ever had.

   • 1981 November 23, “Newest Sub, Oldest Sailor”, in Time:

     He doubtless hoped for a sympathetic ruling from President Reagan, at 70 no spring chicken himself.

Translations

person who is no longer particularly young

• Finnish: ei mikään poikanen (male); ei mikään tyttönen (female)
• French: plus tout jeune, plus de la première jeunesse
• German: kein junger Hüpfer
• Hungarian: nem mai gyerek
• Polish: mieć swoje lata impf
• Russian: желторотый юне́ц (želtorotyj junéc)
• Spanish: talludito