Don't let the fox guard the henhouse.
Don't assign the duty of protecting or controlling valuable information or resources to someone who is likely to exploit that opportunity. You're going to put your ex-convict brother-in-law in charge of your business? I can't tell you how to run your company, but don't let the fox guard the henhouse.
fox guarding the henhouse
A person likely to exploit the information or resources that he or she has been charged to protect or control. My sister is going to put her ex-convict brother-in-law in charge of her business, and I'm worried he'll be like a fox guarding the henhouse.
henpeck (someone)
Of a woman, to thoroughly and continually dominate, intimidate, bully, or browbeat (a man), especially her boyfriend, partner, or husband. Janet is usually so nice, but when she's around her husband, she just henpecks him relentlessly.
henpecked
Of a man, thoroughly and continually dominated, intimidated, bullied, or browbeaten by a woman, especially his wife or girlfriend. John used to be the most adventurous, spontaneous guy I knew, but since he got married, he's become totally henpecked. I hope I never become some henpecked husband like my father was.
rarer than hens' teeth
Incredibly scarce or rare; extremely difficult or impossible to find. Support for the president is rarer than hens' teeth in this part of the country.
scarcer than hens' teeth
Incredibly scarce or rare; extremely difficult or impossible to find. Support for the president is scarcer than hens' teeth in this part of the country.
(as) rare as hens' teeth
Incredibly scarce or rare; extremely difficult or impossible to find. Support for the president is as rare as hens' teeth in this part of the country.
(as) mad as a wet hen
Enraged; extremely or inconsolably angry. My dad was mad as a wet hen after I crashed his car. You make me as mad as a wet hen with the way you carry on sometimes, you know that?
a mother hen
A person who looks out for the welfare of others, especially to a fussy, intrusive, or overprotective degree. Jenny can be a bit of a mother hen when we're out at the bars. I wish she would just relax a little and let us have a good time! My dad is pretty relaxed about most things, but he can be a bit of a mother hen when it comes to who I hang out with.
fox in the henhouse
Someone with bad intentions. (A fox would prey upon hens in a henhouse.) I'd watch out for him if I were you—he walks around here like a fox in the henhouse.
fussy as a hen with one chick
Extremely anxious and overprotective. A: "I can't believe your curfew is only nine o'clock." B: "Yeah, my mom can be fussy as a hen with one chick sometimes."
hens' teeth
Something very scarce (because hens have no teeth). Typically used in phrases like "rarer than hens' teeth." I can hardly believe your brother got an A on his final exam—grades like that are rarer than hens' teeth for him!
hen's tooth
Something very scarce (because hens have no teeth). Typically used in phrases like "as scarce as a hen's tooth." I can hardly believe your brother got an A on his final exam—grades like that are as scarce as a hen's tooth for him!
hen night
A social gathering for women, especially a bachelorette party. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. The girls at work planned a hen night for Sarah since she is due to get married soon.
hen party
A social gathering for women, especially a bachelorette party. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. The girls at work planned a hen party for Sarah since she is due to get married soon.
be as scarce as hen's teeth
To be incredibly rare; to be extremely difficult or impossible to find. Support for the president is as scarce as hens' teeth in this part of the country.
mad as a hornet
Also,
mad as hell or hops or a wet hen . Very angry, enraged as in
Mary was mad as a hornet when her purse was stolen, or
Upset? Dan was mad as hell, or
The teacher was mad as a wet hen. The use of
mad for "angry" dates from about 1300, but these similes are of much more recent vintage (1800s, early 1900s). The allusions to a
hornet, which can launch a fierce attack, and
hell, with its furious fires, are more obvious than the other variants.
Mad as hops was first recorded in 1884 and is thought to have been the writer's version of
hopping mad;
mad as a wet hen, first recorded in 1823, is puzzling, since hens don't really mind water.
scarce as hen's teeth
Also, scarcer than hen's teeth. Exceptionally rare, as in On a rainy night, taxis are as scarce as hen's teeth. Since hens have no teeth, this term in effect says that something is so scarce as to be nonexistent. [Mid-1800s]