Explore English traditional proverbsReviewed 2026-10-01
Sense: Verified- Meaning and lesson
The proverb suggests that hostility directed at someone else may eventually bring trouble to the person who expressed it.
Its returning chickens make the consequence feel fitting: what a speaker sends out does not necessarily stay with its intended target.
- When it is used
Use it when someone's spiteful words or ill wishes appear to rebound on them. It can comment on an outcome without implying that a curse has any supernatural power.
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Curses are like chickens, they come home to roost.