Birds have long captured the human imagination, featuring prominently in art, literature, language, and culture across the globe. This fascination with our avian friends has birthed a flock of bird idioms in English. Let’s explore the meaning behind some of the most common bird sayings and trace their origins.
Taking Things “Under One’s Wing”
To take someone or something under one’s wing means to become a patron, protector or mentor. For example:
- The senior partner took the new associate under her wing, guiding her through the complexities of the law firm.
- My uncle took me under his wing after my parents passed away, providing a room in his home and paying for my education.
This idiom conjures the image of a mother bird sheltering her chicks under the protective cover of her wing. It dates back to the 16th century when English poet Edmund Spenser used it in The Faerie Queene: “And took the babe unto her fostering,/Under her wing she shrouded him full soft.” The metaphor endures as a way to describe offering guidance, shelter and care.
“Eagle Eye”
If someone has an eagle eye, they have exceptionally sharp vision and powers of observation. For example:
- Ben has an eagle eye for spotting grammatical mistakes in manuscripts.
- With her eagle eye, the guard detected the trespasser sneaking over the fence.
Eagles are renowned for their keen eyesight, using their incredible vision to spot prey from vast distances. Referencing their visual acuity, this idiom emerged in the early 1800s. A sight sharp as an eagle’s remains the epitome of perceptiveness.
“Bird Brain”
In contrast, someone described as a “bird brain” or “birdbrain” is foolish, scatterbrained or stupid. For example:
- Only a birdbrain would fall for that email scam.
- You left your keys at the restaurant again? Birdbrain!
The first documented uses of “bird brain” as a derogatory term date from the early 20th century. The small size of birds’ brains compared to mammals fed the false perception that birds lack intelligence. However, birds have surprisingly advanced cognitive capacities. Nonetheless, this unflattering idiom persists in calling out scatterbrained behavior.
“Free As a Bird”
To be free as a bird is to be completely unfettered, liberated and independent. For example:
- After the divorce, Susan felt free as a bird.
- Once I graduate from college, I’ll be free as a bird to travel the world.
Birds aloft on the wing embody a sense of unconstrained freedom and mobility. English poet John Barbour first related birds to liberty in 1375: “Frey als a byrd that fyndis the cage open.” Shakespeare also paired birds and freedom several times, including in King Lear. Though birds in cages may sing, wild and free birds represent the human longing for limitless freedom.
“Birds of a Feather”
The full version of this idiom is “birds of a feather flock together.” It means people who share interests, values or characteristics tend to congregate. For example:
- Jamal and Steve are birds of a feather who both love anime and computer gaming.
- I don’t fit in with the girls I work with. We’re just not birds of a feather.
This phrase traces back to Aristotle’s History of Animals in the 4th century BCE: “illustrating how doves and cranes flock with their own kind.” Medieval authors and William Shakespeare helped popularize it in English works. The shared feathers symbolize people’s shared traits, and flocking birds demonstrate how similar people associate.
“Kill Two Birds With One Stone”
This means accomplishing two objectives in a single action. For example:
- By taking a jog around the neighborhood, I killed two birds with one stone getting exercise and walking the dog.
- Come to the networking event with me – you can kill two birds with one stone by meeting new clients and catching up with old friends.
First seen in the 1600s, this phrase alludes to being efficient and effective by multi-tasking. Killing one bird provides dinner, killing two is an even bigger win. Centuries later, this endures as a way of highlighting productivity.
“Flip the Bird”
If someone flips you the bird, they make an obscene hand gesture your way, raising their middle finger. This is an offensive way of saying get lost, I scorn you. For example:
- Impatient drivers flipped the bird as they zoomed dangerously past me.
- When Sally saw her ex with a new girlfriend, she flipped him the bird.
Originally, “giving someone the bird” in Britain referred to hissing at someone like a goose. American adaptations led to the hand gesture known as “flipping the bird.” This vulgar physical sign communicates anger and contempt.
“Albatross Around One’s Neck”
An albatross around your neck refers to a burden you must carry, from which you cannot easily escape. For example:
- His criminal record proved an albatross around his neck, making it hard to find employment.
- Failing that big client is an albatross around my neck at work now.
This metaphor arose from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s famous 1798 poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. In the poem, a sailor kills an albatross, which leads to a curse that sees the bird metaphorically hung from his neck. Today, the phrase retains the symbolism of bearing a unavoidable hindrance or obstacle.
“Nest Egg”
A nest egg describes money saved up for the future. Just like a bird gathers twigs and feathers to assemble a nest, people accumulate funds over time. For example:
- Janet’s grandma left her a $10,000 nest egg to help with college expenses.
- We’ve been adding $400 to our nest egg every month.
First used in the early 1800s, this phrase plays off the egg’s role nourishing and protecting baby birds. Similarly, financial nest eggs provide safety, security and funds when needed. This idiom is frequently used in personal finance contexts.
“Bald as an Eagle”
Describing someone as “bald as an eagle” refers to pronounced hair loss or baldness. For example:
- By age 30, Jake was as bald as an eagle after hereditary male pattern baldness set in.
- The elderly gentleman was completely bald as an eagle, not a single strand of hair on his head.
The white-feathered bald head and neck of America’s national bird provided the inspiration for this saying, even though only adult eagles go bald. First recorded in 1621, this remains a go-to comparison for the smoothest pate around.
“Proud as a Peacock”
Someone who is proud as a peacock is extremely vain and filled with pride. For example:
- Look how proud as a peacock he is, strutting around and bragging about his promotion.
- She may seem demure, but deep down she’s proud as a peacock.
With its radiant, iridescent tail feathers fanned for all to admire, the peacock created the perfect analogy for excessive pride. Francis Bacon helped popularize this phrase in the early 1600s. To this day, it conveys boastful vanity.
“Wise Old Owl”
A wise old owl person has extensive life experience and knowledge. Owls symbolize wisdom and intelligence. For example:
- As a wise old owl, the tribal elder shared her insights with the teenagers.
- After decades managing foreign policy, the senator earned renown as a wise old owl.
The owl’s association with wisdom traces back to Ancient Greece and the goddess Athena’s companion bird, the little owl. In English works like Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, owls offering sage advice emerged. The owl’s scholarly vibe persists in this idiom for respected elders.
“Night Owl”
In contrast, a night owl is most alert and active at night. Night owls stay up late into the wee hours. For example:
- I’ve always been a night owl, most productive after midnight when the world is quiet.
- As night owls, we loved late-night diners we could go to after leaving the bars.
Before artificial lighting, owls’ superb night vision and nocturnal hunting inspired this idiom. Shakespeare used “night-owle” in Love’s Labour’s Lost in the 1500s. The owl’s after-dark vibes convey late-night behavior preferences for individuals or society.
“Early Bird”
Early birds are morning people, apt to rise at dawn or very early in the day. The opposite of night owls. For example:
- As an early bird, I’m up at 5 a.m., but struggle if I sleep past 7.
- Let’s meet for brunch tomorrow. I know you’re not an early bird.
Roosters crowing at first light created this idiom, though some believe it references hungry birds up early seeking food. Either way, the saying caught on by the 1600s to label larks opposed to night owls. Benjamin Franklin’s “early to bed, early to rise” proverb also stoked this image.
“Bird-Watching”
Bird-watching just means observing birds in nature, a popular hobby. But it also refers to eavesdropping or spying on others. For example:
- We spotted some beautiful warblers and vireos during our bird-watching outing this morning.
- I know you were bird-watching outside the break room to overhear the office gossip.
The pastime of observing wild birds first emerged in the 20th century. But bird-watching gained a secondary meaning as flocks offered spying opportunities. Just like binocular-toting birders, spies eagerly eavesdrop, watching their “prey.”
“Jailbird”
A jailbird is a person who has been in jail or prison. It refers to someone with a criminal record. For example:
- Watch your purse around Pete. He’s an old jailbird with a record of petty theft and fraud.
- With her jailbird husband back on the streets, Joan feared the worst.
Since caged birds symbolize imprisonment, jailbird emerged in the 1940s to describe repeat criminal offenders When jailbirds fly free, they often flock back to illegal activity.
“Dove”
Doves represent peace, innocence, and tranquility. To be doveish means supporting compromise over conflict. For example:
- The doveish candidate respectfully reached across the aisle, forging bipartisan legislation.
- As a dove on social issues, Amy advocated for non-violent activism and peaceful tolerance.
In the Bible, after the flood, Noah sent out a dove to symbolize God’s peace restored to earth. The gentle dove’s olive branch reinforced its message of hope and harmony. Today, the white dove remains an emblem of pacifism and reconciliation.
“Chicken”
Someone deemed chicken is a coward or fearful person who avoids risk. For example:
- Jesse called John chicken for refusing to skydive with us.
- Don’t be chicken – ask her out on a date!
In the 1600s, chicken became slang for a cowardly child. Chickens’ timid nature provided the perfect metaphor for faintheartedness. Branding someone chicken needles their courage. However, this idiom is losing strength due to criticism it ridicules weakness.
“Cocky”
A cocky person behaves in an arrogant, strutting manner. They are overly self-assured, even brash. For example:
- Ignoring warnings, the cocky rookie raced down the expert ski slope.
- Don’t be cocky – overconfidence could undermine the audition.
In the 1700s, cock first denoted a confident male rooster. Their swaggering gait and crowing bravado spawned the adjective cocky. This carried over to describe boastful, audacious men. Though now gender-neutral, cocky still conjures images of a preening rooster.
“Mother Hen”
A mother hen is a woman behaving in a fussy, protective way. Mother hens cluck over people in a nurturing but nosy fashion. For example:
- Sheltering her adult children, Millie acts like a mother hen who can’t let go.
- The teacher helps students but is no mother hen coddling them.
Female chickens have a reputation as feather-ruffling, fretful mothers. In the 1600s, this idiom emerged for women mirroring hens’ hovering behavior. Mother hens’ constant interventions can seem overbearing or limiting.
“Henpecked”
A henpecked man is excessively dominated and controlled by his wife. He submits to her nagging ways. For example:
- Harold is completely henpecked by his wife who bosses him around.
- After moving in together, Jack grew henpecked fast, rarely making a decision without Jane’s approval.
Picturing a hen relentlessly pecking magnifies a wife’s domineering nature. English speakers began using “henpeck” in the 1600s before adding “henpecked” in the 1800s to convey worn-down husbands. Unlike cocky roosters, henpecked men become passive and compliant.
“Peacocking”
Peacocking means dressing or behaving in a way meant to attract attention and impress others. For example:
- She accuse him of peacocking in flashy designer clothes at the event.
- Stop peacocking and tell me what’s really bothering you.
The male peacock’s radiant plumage seemed the perfect metaphor for attention-seeking displays. Dating back to the 1800s, peacock transformed into a verb meaning showing off. Vain, flashy peacocking tries to court notice and admiration.
“Crowing About”
Someone crowing about something brags or boasts about their accomplishments or possessions. For example:
- She’s been crowing about her promotion for weeks.
- Ever since he won the art contest, he’s been crowing about it nonstop.
Roosters crow loudly to herald their dominance, and this carryover usage dates back to the 1500s. The term “crowing” emerged to convey the notion of bragging over victories or status. Crowing about achievements tries to garner envy and praise.
“Eat Crow”
To eat crow means admitting an embarrassing mistake or being forced to backtrack on a statement. For example:
- After saying the deal was useless, the CEO ate crow when sales skyrocketed.
- Don’t make me eat crow if my bold prediction doesn’t come true!
Eating crow signifies humiliation some trace to an American proverb about eating roast crow. Others link it to Native American traditions using crow as a sign of cowardice. Either origin conveys mortification from words backfiring.
“As the Crow Flies”
This means the most direct path between two points. As the crow flies, it’s 20 miles from here to the stadium across town.
Crows fly straight at their destination. Unlike meandering roads, the crow’s aerial route is direct. So this phrase took flight in the 1800s to indicate the shortest distance from A to B. Calculating things “as the crow flies” ignores obstacles on the ground.
“Eating Like a Bird”
Someone eating like a bird consumes tiny portions. Birds have high metabolisms and eat less than many mammals. For example:
- Ever since her surgery, Great Aunt Beth eats like a bird.
- If you’re eating like a bird, where do you get your energy?
This idiom traces to the early 1800s. Birds eat frequently yet in small amounts. So describing bird-sized appetites and nibbles conveys a dainty approach to dining. However, some birds like ostriches and emus eat quite heartily – just most songbirds eat lightly.
“For the Birds”
Saying something is for the birds means it is worthless, nonsensical, boring or absurd. For example:
- That movie was for the birds – completely ridiculous and poorly acted.
- Her advice was for the birds since it made zero logical sense.
One theory suggests bird pellets, or bird poop, inspired this American phrase in the 1900s. Another ties it to dismissing something as only worthy of birds. Either way, it’s an unflattering assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bird Idioms
Bird idioms enrich English sayings with color, metaphor, and cultural connections. Here are answers to some common questions about these bird phrases.
Where did these bird idioms originate?
Most bird idioms emerged from literary works by English language writers and poets over the past several centuries. For instance, Shakespeare used many phrases like “free as a bird.” Others have American roots, like “for the birds.” Biblical references (like dove for peace) also spawned idioms.
What qualities do birds represent in idioms?
Birds symbolize many traits in idiomatic phrases: Freedom and confinement, wisdom and foolishness, cowardice and courage, peacefulness and aggression. Idioms pick bird images matching human attributes. Eagles suggest sharp vision, doves pacifism, chickens cowardice, and peacocks pride.
Do any idioms actually reference bird droppings?
A couple idioms tie loosely to bird poop. “For the birds” may relate to dismissing something as only worthy of birds, or being bird droppings. And one theory speculates “eat crow” could originate with eating crow poop as an admission of shame. Otherwise, idioms steer clear of direct scatological references.
Are any bird idioms falling out of fashion?
A few newer idioms try to avoid unflattering implications about avian intelligence, like calling someone a “bird brain.” And “eat crow” is heard less often nowadays. But most classic phrases like “free as a bird” or “proud as a peacock” remain current, concise