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To Chicken Out

Context #1 — 

Tim: Have you heard about the new ride and Magic Mountain called the Death Drop?

John:  Yeah, I heard it’s super scary.  Have you been on it?

Tim:  Well, we went there this weekend and I was going to go on it with my friends, but I chickened out at the last minute.

John:  Really?  That must have been a little embarrassing.

Tim:  Yeah, it was!

Context #2 —

Christine: Did you hear about Steve and Carol’s anniversary trip to Yosemite?

Stacy:  No, what happened?

Christine:  They agreed to go bungee jumping off this bridge, but Carol was ready to jump and then chickened out.

Stacy: Oh no!  How did Steve take it?

Christine:  He wasn’t upset at all.  He actually thought it was kind of funny.

Meaning:  to chicken out is used when someone gets too scared or too afraid to do something so they back out or don’t attempt it. 


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