A rubber chicken is a prop used in comedy. The phrase is also used as a description for food served at speeches, conventions, and other large meetings, and as a metaphor for speechmaking.[citation needed]
A rubber chicken is an imitation plucked fowl made in a latex injection mold.
Origins
The origin of the rubber chicken is obscure, but it is possibly based on the use of inflated pig bladders attached to sticks and used as props or mock weapons by jesters in the days before the development of plastic and latex. Chicken corpses were readily available; therefore jesters could employ them as variations of slapsticks.[1]
One account attributes the first use of a prop chicken to John Holmberg, the Swedish blackface clown of the early 1900s.[citation needed] Similarly British performer Joseph Grimaldi would perform with his pockets full of fake food to mock the gluttony reportedly prevalent among the upper classes at the time.[2] However this predates the vulcanization of rubber.
A claim that the symbol originated during the French Revolution, with soldiers hanging a chicken from their muskets for luck, is printed on the tag of rubber chickens manufactured by Archie McPhee.[citation needed]
Food and speechmaking
The term "rubber chicken" is used disparagingly to describe the food served at political or corporate events, weddings, and other gatherings where there are a large number of guests who require serving in a short timeframe. Often, pre-cooked chicken is held at serving temperature for some time and then dressed with a sauce as it is served. Consequently, the meat may be tough or "rubbery". Someone who "travels the 'rubber chicken circuit'" is said to do so by attending or making speeches at many such gatherings, often as part of political campaigning.[3]
References
^ "Farm Pop: Why the Rubber Chicken?". Modern Farmer. 2013-12-04. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
^Barrett, Grant (2006-06-08). The Oxford Dictionary of American Political Slang. OUP USA. ISBN978-0-19-530447-3.
May 17, 2023
rubber, chicken, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, august, 20. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Rubber chicken news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message A rubber chicken is a prop used in comedy The phrase is also used as a description for food served at speeches conventions and other large meetings and as a metaphor for speechmaking citation needed Rubber chicken in the back of a truck Contents 1 Description 2 Origins 3 Food and speechmaking 4 ReferencesDescription EditA rubber chicken is an imitation plucked fowl made in a latex injection mold Origins EditThe origin of the rubber chicken is obscure but it is possibly based on the use of inflated pig bladders attached to sticks and used as props or mock weapons by jesters in the days before the development of plastic and latex Chicken corpses were readily available therefore jesters could employ them as variations of slapsticks 1 One account attributes the first use of a prop chicken to John Holmberg the Swedish blackface clown of the early 1900s citation needed Similarly British performer Joseph Grimaldi would perform with his pockets full of fake food to mock the gluttony reportedly prevalent among the upper classes at the time 2 However this predates the vulcanization of rubber A claim that the symbol originated during the French Revolution with soldiers hanging a chicken from their muskets for luck is printed on the tag of rubber chickens manufactured by Archie McPhee citation needed Food and speechmaking EditThe term rubber chicken is used disparagingly to describe the food served at political or corporate events weddings and other gatherings where there are a large number of guests who require serving in a short timeframe Often pre cooked chicken is held at serving temperature for some time and then dressed with a sauce as it is served Consequently the meat may be tough or rubbery Someone who travels the rubber chicken circuit is said to do so by attending or making speeches at many such gatherings often as part of political campaigning 3 References Edit Farm Pop Why the Rubber Chicken Modern Farmer 2013 12 04 Retrieved 2016 07 15 Buck Wolf Flight of the Floppy Fowl ABCNews com 2000 Barrett Grant 2006 06 08 The Oxford Dictionary of American Political Slang OUP USA ISBN 978 0 19 530447 3 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Rubber chicken amp oldid 1129669383, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
