Phrase guide

a chicken in every pot

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

something suggestive of general welfare or prosperity

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • At least nowadays we have a chicken in every pot, and a car in every garage to boot!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

First stated by Henry IV of France as, "I want there to be no peasant in my realm so poor that he will not have a chicken in his pot every Sunday," and later associated with United States president Herbert Hoover's 1928 campaign as part of an advertisement, placed by a local committee. Because of the advertisement, the phrase is often attributed to Hoover, although he never made such a statement.