catbird seat


noun Informal.

an advantageous situation or condition: His appointment as acting dean put him in the catbird seat.

Origin of catbird seat

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45

Words nearby catbird seat

Idioms and Phrases with catbird seat

catbird seat

A situation of advantage or superiority, as in His promotion put Charles in the catbird seat. This term is thought to allude to that noisy bird's habitual high perch. It was popularized in the 1940s by sportscaster Red Barber.