proverb · Words worth keeping
It never goes well when the hen crows.
It never goes well when the hen crows.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying treats a crowing hen as a sign that things will go badly. A critical reading notices the negative judgment attached to an animal taking an unexpected role.
What the words are saying
Never goes well makes the omen absolute without specifying the outcome. If applied to human authority, the hen image can support a gendered expectation that needs questioning rather than endorsement. The literal wording does not identify a specific household event or verify that a crow predicts trouble. A responsible explanation keeps those limits visible.
Everyday example
Readers examine whether a story uses the animal image to criticise a woman’s authority and question that assumption.
When to use it
Use it critically to examine an unfavourable omen and possible gendered analogy.
What it does not mean
Neither animal behaviour nor gender establishes that an outcome must be bad.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 363 · Crows
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English