What does "to play chicken with" mean ?

Question

What does "to play chicken with" mean ?

Answer 1

It's a game played by two people.  Both players are doing something that has the potential to result in a bad outcome if they keep doing what they are doing.  If neither one gives up, they both suffer a bad outcome.  If one of them gives up, the one who did not give up gets a good outcome, but the one who did give up loses the game (and is the "chicken", meaning that he or she was afraid to continue playing).

The classic game of chicken involves two people driving cars toward each other.  If they both keep going, the cars crash and bad things happen.  If one of the players swerves the car, the other one wins and the one who swerved the car is the "chicken".