Meanings
plural foxes in the henhouse · plural foxes in henhouses · alternative fox guarding the henhouse
- figurativelyidiomaticSomeone untrustworthy placed in a position of trust in which they will be harmful, damaging or detrimental for their own personal gain.
While the Commissioner of Patents is normally expected to understand and to promote the patent system as a bulwark for promoting the U.S. economy, the current Commissioner is, in many ways, a fox in the henhouse, undertaking to destroy that which he was commissioned to protect and to strengthen.
1995 October 10, David L. Hill, “The Putsch to Enfeeble the Independent U.S. Inventor”, in Impact on U.S. Exporters of the New GATT Patent Accord: Hearing Before the […] House of Representatives […], published 1997, pages 76–7Synonyms: wolf in the henhouse
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSomeone untrustworthy placed in a position of trust in which they will be harmful, damaging or detrimental for their own personal gain.
Origin
A metaphor referring to the fox as a predator that would prey on the chickens if given an opportunity to do so.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 虎入羊群
- 虎入羊群 (hǔrùyángqún)someone untrustworthy placed in a position of trust
Czech udělat kozla zahradníkem
- udělat kozla zahradníkemsomeone untrustworthy placed in a position of trust
Danish sætte ræven til at vogte gæs, sætte ulven til at vogte får
- sætte ræven til at vogte gæssomeone untrustworthy placed in a position of trust
- sætte ulven til at vogte fårsomeone untrustworthy placed in a position of trust
Finnish pukki kaalimaan vartijana, kettu kanatarhassa
- pukki kaalimaan vartijanasomeone untrustworthy placed in a position of trust
- kettu kanatarhassasomeone untrustworthy placed in a position of trust
German den Bock zum Gärtner machen
- den Bock zum Gärtner machensomeone untrustworthy placed in a position of trust
Hungarian kecskére bízza a káposztát
- kecskére bízza a káposztátsomeone untrustworthy placed in a position of trust
Italian volpe nel pollaio
- volpe nel pollaiosomeone untrustworthy placed in a position of trust
Norwegian Bokmål sette bukken til å passe havresekken
- sette bukken til å passe havresekkensomeone untrustworthy placed in a position of trust
Polish lis w kurniku
- lis w kurnikusomeone untrustworthy placed in a position of trust
Portuguese raposa no galinheiro
- raposa no galinheirosomeone untrustworthy placed in a position of trust
Spanish zamuro cuidando carne
- zamuro cuidando carnesomeone untrustworthy placed in a position of trust
Cite this entry
fox in the henhouse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fox%20in%20the%20henhouse
“fox in the henhouse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fox%20in%20the%20henhouse. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fox in the henhouse,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fox%20in%20the%20henhouse.
Source: fox in the henhouse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.