Chicken out

Thank you, to all those who have responded about putting their pants on “one leg at a time.” So far, the left legs are winning, and now I know who reads my column.

To continue on about expressions, now I’d like to address the expression “chicken out.”

If English were my second language, I believe that expression would totally confuse me. I know that it means to shy away from something, or to back out because of being afraid. But, where in the world did that expression originate?