Blue Hen's Chickens
Preserved but no longer current.
The nickname for inhabitants of the State of Delaware. It is said that in the Revolutionary War a certain Captain Caldwell commanded, and brought to a high state of efficiency, a Delaware regiment. He used to say that no cock could be truly game whose mother was not a blue hen. Hence the Delaware regiment became known as "Blue Hen's Chickens,'* and the name was transferred to the inhabitants of the State generally.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Blue Hen's Chickens” mean?
The nickname for inhabitants of the State of Delaware. It is said that in the Revolutionary War a certain Captain Caldwell commanded, and brought to a high state of efficiency, a Delaware regiment. He used to say that no cock could be truly game whose mother was not a blue hen. Hence the Delaware regiment became known as "Blue Hen's Chickens,'* and the name was transferred to the inhabitants of the State generally.
Is “Blue Hen's Chickens” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.