Little Red Hen syndrome

noun

The situation where people who did not contribute to something expect a share of the reward or credit.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounLittle Red Hen syndrome (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe situation where people who did not contribute to something expect a share of the reward or credit.

Origin

From the folk tale The Little Red Hen, in which the animals who would not help to plant the wheat, make the flour, etc. expect to receive some of the bread.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Little Red Hen syndrome. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Little%20Red%20Hen%20syndrome

MLA

“Little Red Hen syndrome.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Little%20Red%20Hen%20syndrome. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Little Red Hen syndrome,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Little%20Red%20Hen%20syndrome.

Source: Little Red Hen syndrome on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.