名词chicken有鸡，鸡肉，胆小鬼等意思。chicken可以指作家禽的鸡，小鸡的意思，这时chicken是个体名词，是可数的，有复数；指作鸡肉是物质名词，是不可数的，没有单复数之分。
1.chicken【鸡肉】不可数
如： There is much chicken on the plate.盘子里有许多鸡肉。
It's cold chicken for lunch.
午餐吃鸡肉冷盘。
A fiery combination of chicken, chillies and rice.
把鸡肉、辣椒和米饭和在一起、口味辛辣的搭配。
2.chicken【小鸡】可数
如：There are some chickens under the tree.
树底下有一些鸡。
free-range chickens
自由放养的鸡
There was a fox on the prowl near the chickens.
有一只狐狸在鸡群附近徘徊。
I've brought you some eggs. We keep chickens
我给你带了些鸡蛋。我们养鸡。
Granny cooked a chicken especially for the wounded soldier.
老大娘特别为伤员炖了一只鸡。
The chickens have all fled from their coop.
鸡炸了窝了。
Chickens pecked in the dust
鸡在尘土中啄食。
I have to feed the chickens and hoe the potatoes
我得喂鸡，还得为马铃薯锄草。
He had chickens and things round the back
他在房子后面养了些鸡啊什么的。
She scattered corn for the chickens.
她撒谷子喂鸡。
The hen has hatched all her chickens out.
这只母鸡已经孵出了她的全部小鸡。
They keep chickens in the back yard.
他们在后院养鸡。
He had chickens and things round the back
他在房子后面养了些鸡啊什么的。
She looked relaxed as she plucked a chicken.
她拔鸡毛时看上去很轻松。
I breed a dozen of chickens.
我饲养了一打小鸡。
I prefer the baby chickens and the cocks.
我更喜欢鸡宝宝和公鸡。
3. chicken【胆小鬼，懦夫】可数
I'm scared of the dark. I'm a big chicken.
我怕黑，是个十足的胆小鬼。
call someone a chicken称某人是个胆小鬼
4. chicken out (of sth/of doing sth) 动词
因害怕而放弃；临阵退缩；胆怯；由于害怕而停止做某事；临阵脱逃
尤其可以用来指：已经计划好了的事情，但是由于自己的胆小害怕，而临阵退缩了！
My boyfriend was supposed to be meeting my parents this weekend but he chickened out and said he had the flu.”
我男友这个周末本应该要来见我的父母的，但他突然说感冒了，临阵脱逃了。
She cancelled the wedding because she chickened out.
她临阵脱逃取消了婚礼。
If you fall for her head over heels, go ask her for her phone number. Don't chicken out.
如果你深深的爱上了她，就去问她要电话号码，别退缩！
Don't tell me you're going to chicken out.
别告诉我你胆怯不干了。
His mother complains that he makes excuses to chicken out of family occasions such as weddings...
他妈妈抱怨他找借口躲避家庭聚会，如婚礼之类的。
Freddy chickened out of the plan at the last minute.
弗雷迪临阵脱逃，最终退出了这个计划。
I chickened out of seeing the horror movie.
我因害怕二放弃看恐怖电影。
Bill was going to ask Lisa out on a date, but he chickened out at the last minute.
比尔本来要约丽莎出去玩，但是最后却不敢开口。
We were going skydiving,but Jack chickened out at the last moment.
我们本来计划去跳伞，可是杰克最后临阵退缩了。
I chickened out of going bungee jumping.
我因害怕而不敢蹦极。
I was going to go bungee jumping, but I chickened out at the eleventh hour..
我原打算去玩蹦极跳的，可是在最后时刻因为害怕放弃了。
We were both going to get tattoos last night but Mack chickened out.
我们昨天晚上都想去纹身，但麦克退缩了。
Freddy chickened out of the plan at the last minute
最后时刻福瑞迪临阵退缩放弃了计划。
I had never ridden on a motorcycle before. But it was too late to chicken out.
那以前我从没骑过摩托车。不过，想退缩已经来不及了。
I'm afraid he'll chicken out when we really start to do it.
我担心在我们真动手干的时候他会害怕而退出。
Tom enrolled his name in the horse ride. But when it was his turn, he chickened out.
汤姆报名参加骑马运动。但轮到他时，他却临阵脱逃了。
The band couldn't perform because the singer chickened out backstage.
这个乐团不能表演，因为主唱在后台临阵退缩了。
duck out 一般用来形容人，to sneak out of some place when one is among other people，就是“偷偷离开人群”的意思。
It's crunch time of the company. Don't duck out of the office early.
这是公司的关键时期，不要提前离开办公室哦。
duck out 引申开来， 还有个意思，是“躲避责任，逃避做某事”，evade responsibility, escape doing something.
Don't mess it up. Are you trying to duck out of your responsibility?
别搞砸了。你是在逃避你的责任吗？