Meaning of chickenhawk | Babel Free

Definitions

1. Any of the North American hawk species (Cooper's hawk, sharp-shinned hawk and red-tailed hawk), or counterparts elsewhere, mistakenly believed to be pests.
2. A draft dodger, especially in the Vietnam War, who nonetheless currently supports United States overseas military engagements.
   US, derogatory
3. An older, usually more powerful man who preys on adolescent boys for sex.
   derogatory, slang

Equivalents

Examples

“For every instance of Saul's good-humoredly putting one over on the criminal justice system […] to free his younger lover from his latest legal trouble, Rogers recounts callous treatment at the hands of the older man. In addition, Sinbad suffers brutal depredations from the city's other chicken hawks.”

CEFR level