Overview

 It is an informal phrase that usually refers to messy, hard-to-read handwriting, the kind that looks like a chicken scratched the paper.  It can also be used metaphorically to describe any scribbles, doodles, or illegible marks.

For example:

• “I can’t read your chicken scratches on this note.”
• It implies poor penmanship or rushed writing.

The phrase “chicken scratches” likely originated in English in the early 19th century, drawing on the visual similarity between a chicken scratching the ground and the messy, irregular marks on paper.  Chickens scratch dirt in a random, jagged way, so people began using the term metaphorically for handwriting that looks equally chaotic or hard to read.

It’s considered American slang, but exploring its cultural significance helps explain why it’s used to describe messy handwriting and how it reflects perceptions of chaos or disorder in American culture.

Earliest recorded usage of “chicken scratch” in relation to handwriting:

• According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term chicken scratch first appeared in English around 1863, but at that time it referred to chicken feed, not handwriting.  The handwriting sense came later, in the early 20th century.
• The earliest documented use of the phrase to describe poor penmanship seems to be around 1909, in Lewis F. Bostelmann’s Play Roger of Rutland, where a character says:
  “I cannot write much more than mine own name / And that resembles more a chicken’s scratch.”
• Before that, similar metaphors existed, like comparing handwriting to chicken feet (recorded in 1899).

So, the idiom evolved from:

·       1860s – “chicken scratch” meaning chicken feed.

·       1890s – comparisons of handwriting to chicken feet.

·       1909 onward – “chicken scratch” explicitly meaning messy handwriting.

Famous literary quotes using the exact phrase “chicken scratches,” but here are some notable examples and contexts where it appears:

1.  Lewis F. Bostelmann’s Play (1909)

One of the earliest recorded uses in literature is from Roger of Rutland (1909), where a character says:

“I cannot write much more than my own name, and that resembles more a chicken’s scratch.”

2.  Common Idiomatic Usage

While not “famous quotes” in the sense of Shakespeare or Twain, the phrase appears frequently in idiom dictionaries and everyday examples:

• “I can’t understand these notes at all—your handwriting is like chicken scratch!”
• “Good luck reading that—the kid’s handwriting is like chicken scratch.”
  These examples are widely quoted in idiom references and teaching materials.

3.  Cultural Commentary

Emily Dickinson’s handwriting was once compared to “fossil bird-tracks,” which some scholars link conceptually to the “chicken scratch” metaphor, though the exact phrase wasn’t used until later.

However, here are a few notable contexts and examples:

4.  Common Idiomatic Use

• “I can’t understand these notes at all—your handwriting is like chicken scratch!”
  This is a standard example cited in idiom dictionaries.

5.  Humor and Commentary

• “Chicken scratch is the only language some people can speak fluently.”
  This humorous take appears in slang and cultural commentary sources.

6.  Early Literary Reference

• “I cannot write much more than my own name, and that resembles more a chicken’s scratch.”
  From Lewis F. Bostelmann’s Play Roger of Rutland (1909), often cited as an early literary use of the metaphor.

Closest Related Humor

• Some humor sites and slang dictionaries include lines like:
  “Chicken scratching is the only language some people can speak fluently.”
  This is a sarcastic jab at bad handwriting, and it fits the comedic tone.
• There are plenty of chicken-themed jokes (e.g., “Why did the chicken cross the road?”) and puns, but those don’t use “chicken scratch” specifically.