Red Hen

The term when used in this context is based on the classic folktale fable The Little Red Hen. The story is applied in teaching children the virtues of a strong work ethic and personal initiative. In the tale, the little red hen finds a grain of wheat and asks for help from the other farmyard animals to plant it, but they all refuse. At the later stages of harvesting, threshing, milling the wheat into flour, and baking the flour into bread, the little red hen once again asks for help from the other animals, but again she receives none. Finally, when the little red hen has completed all her tasks, she asks who will help her eat the fresh-baked bread. This time, all the previous non-participants eagerly volunteer, but she immediately refuses them, stating that since no one helped her with the work, no one is entitled to share in the fruits of her labor. Thus, the little red hen goes about eating the fresh-baked bread with her chicks, leaving none for anyone else. Slang Term: Any person who attempts to take advantage of another by taking credit or gaining benefit from another person's work or efforts with no contribution or input of their own. To expect something for nothing. To take but not give anything in return.