Wednesday's Random Slang-o-rama: As scarce as hen's teeth

Continuing on a bird-themed exploration of idioms and expressions (see last week's post for cold turkey), I had occasion to write as scarce as hen's teeth, and then (as is my wont), I wondered.

Who on earth came up with that phrase (which, by the way, means "exceptionally rare")? And how far back does it go? I'm guessing mid-19th century, for no reason other than it seems there would've been a lot of chickens running around on farms and homesteads then.

Let's find out!
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According to the entry for this saying in Heavens to Betsy and Other Curious Sayings by Charles Earle Funk:

Just when this hyperbole first appeared has not yet been determined. The Dictionary of Americanisms reports its use by "Edmund Kirke," pen name of Fames R. Gilmore, in My Southern Friends (1862). But because this metaphor is thoroughly familiar in all parts of the country, there's good reason to believe that it may actually have had word-of-mouth use from colonial days.

The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer pretty much concurs, citing mid-1800s for this expression.

However, not so fast.... there's more!

 I was googling about and, lo and behold, I found a 2006 article in Science Daily titled "Hens' Teeth Not So Rare After All." The abstract reads:

Scientists have discovered that rarest of things: a chicken with teeth -- crocodile teeth to be precise. Contrary to the well-known phrase, "As rare as hens' teeth," the researchers say they have found a naturally occurring mutant chicken called Talpid that has a complete set of ivories.

  I'm speechless. Metaphorically speaking.

Show us those teeth!
Image by Capri23auto from Pixabay