bird

[ burd ]

/ bɜrd /

noun

any warm-blooded vertebrate of the class Aves, having a body covered with feathers, forelimbs modified into wings, scaly legs, a beak, and no teeth, and bearing young in a hard-shelled egg.

a fowl or game bird.

Sports.

clay pigeon.
a shuttlecock.

Slang. a person, especially one having some peculiarity: He's a queer bird.

Informal. an aircraft, spacecraft, or guided missile.

Cookery. a thin piece of meat, poultry, or fish rolled around a stuffing and braised: veal birds.

Southern U.S. (in hunting) a bobwhite.

Chiefly British Slang. a girl or young woman.

Archaic. the young of any fowl.

the bird, Slang.

disapproval, as of a performance, by hissing, booing, etc.: He got the bird when he came out on stage.
scoffing or ridicule: He was trying to be serious, but we all gave him the bird.
an obscene gesture of contempt made by raising the middle finger.

verb (used without object)

to catch or shoot birds.

to bird-watch.

Idioms for bird

a little bird, Informal. a secret source of information: A little bird told me that today is your birthday.

bird in the hand, a thing possessed in fact as opposed to a thing about which one speculates: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Also bird in hand.

birds of a feather, people with interests, opinions, or backgrounds in common: Birds of a feather flock together.

eat like a bird, to eat sparingly: She couldn't understand why she failed to lose weight when she was, as she said, eating like a bird.

for the birds, Slang. useless or worthless; not to be taken seriously: Their opinions on art are for the birds. That pep rally is for the birds.

kill two birds with one stone, to achieve two aims with a single effort: She killed two birds with one stone by shopping and visiting the museum on the same trip.

the birds and the bees, basic information about sex and reproduction: It was time to talk to the boy about the birds and the bees.

Origin of bird

before 900; Middle English byrd, bryd, Old English brid(d) young bird, chick

OTHER WORDS FROM bird

bird·less, adjective

Words nearby bird

birch partridge, birch tar oil, birchbark biting, birchen, bircher, bird, bird band, bird call, bird cherry, bird colonel, bird dismount

British Dictionary definitions for bird in the hand (1 of 2)

Bird

/ (bɜːd) /

noun

nickname of (Charlie) Parker

British Dictionary definitions for bird in the hand (2 of 2)

bird

/ (bɜːd) /

noun

any warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrate of the class Aves, characterized by a body covering of feathers and forelimbs modified as wings. Birds vary in size between the ostrich and the humming bird Related adjectives: avian, ornithic

informal a person (usually preceded by a qualifying adjective, as in the phrases rare bird, odd bird, clever bird)

slang, mainly British a girl or young woman, esp one's girlfriend

slang prison or a term in prison (esp in the phrase do bird; shortened from birdlime, rhyming slang for time)

a bird in the hand something definite or certain

the bird has flown informal the person in question has fled or escaped

the birds and the bees euphemistic, or jocular sex and sexual reproduction

birds of a feather people with the same characteristics, ideas, interests, etc

get the bird informal

to be fired or dismissed
(esp of a public performer) to be hissed at, booed, or derided

give someone the bird informal to tell someone rudely to depart; scoff at; hiss

kill two birds with one stone to accomplish two things with one action

like a bird without resistance or difficulty

a little bird a (supposedly) unknown informant a little bird told me it was your birthday

for the birds or strictly for the birds informal deserving of disdain or contempt; not important

Derived forms of bird

birdlike, adjective

Word Origin for bird

Old English bridd, of unknown origin

Scientific definitions for bird in the hand

bird

[ bûrd ]

Any of numerous warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrate animals of the class Aves. Birds have wings for forelimbs, a body covered with feathers, a hard bill covering the jaw, and a four-chambered heart.

A Closer Look

It is generally believed that birds are descended from dinosaurs and probably evolved from them during the Jurassic Period. While most paleontologists believe that birds evolved from a small dinosaur called the theropod, which in turn evolved from the thecodont, a reptile from the Triassic Period, other paleontologists believe that birds and dinosaurs both evolved from the thecodont. There are some who even consider the bird to be an actual dinosaur. According to this view, the bird is an avian dinosaur, and the older dinosaur a nonavian dinosaur. Although there are variations of thought on the exact evolution of birds, the similarities between birds and dinosaurs are striking and undeniable. Small meat-eating dinosaurs and primitive birds share about twenty characteristics that neither group shares with any other kind of animal; these include tubular bones, the position of the pelvis, the shape of the shoulder blades, a wishbone-shaped collarbone, and the structure of the eggs. Dinosaurs had scales, and birds have modified scales-their feathers-and scaly feet. Some dinosaurs also may have had feathers; a recently discovered fossil of a small dinosaur indicates that it had a featherlike covering. In fact, some primitive fossil birds and small meat-eating dinosaurs are so similar that it is difficult to tell them apart based on their skeletons alone.

Idioms and Phrases with bird in the hand (1 of 2)

bird in the hand

A benefit available now is more valuable than some possibly larger future benefit. For example, Bob thinks he might do better in a bigger firm, but his wife insists he should stay, saying a bird in the hand. This expression, which in full is A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, was an ancient Greek proverb. It was well known in English by about 1400 and has been repeated so frequently that it is often shortened.

Idioms and Phrases with bird in the hand (2 of 2)

bird

In addition to the idioms beginning with bird

bird has flown, the
bird in the hand
bird of passage
birds and the bees, the
birds of a feather (flock together)

also see:

catbird seat
early bird catches the worm
eat like a bird
for the birds
free as a bird
kill two birds with one stone
little bird told me
naked as a jaybird
rare bird

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

bird

noun

verb (used without object)

Idioms for bird

Origin of bird

OTHER WORDS FROM bird

Words nearby bird

British Dictionary definitions for bird in the hand (1 of 2)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for bird in the hand (2 of 2)

noun

Derived forms of bird

Word Origin for bird

Scientific definitions for bird in the hand

A Closer Look

Idioms and Phrases with bird in the hand (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with bird in the hand (2 of 2)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

bird

noun

verb (used without object)

Idioms for bird

Origin of bird

OTHER WORDS FROM bird

Words nearby bird

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for bird in the hand (1 of 2)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for bird in the hand (2 of 2)

noun

Derived forms of bird

Word Origin for bird

Scientific definitions for bird in the hand

A Closer Look

Idioms and Phrases with bird in the hand (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with bird in the hand (2 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for bird in the hand (1 of 2)