7th September 2003, 6:38 PM
For that matter, chicken refers to both genders of that animal, not just female (hen is for female chicken).
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)