51³Ō¹Ļ

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View synonyms for

white feather

noun

Chiefly British.
  1. a symbol of cowardice.



white feather

noun

  1. a symbol or mark of cowardice

  2. to act in a cowardly manner

ā€œCollins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridgedā€ 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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51³Ō¹Ļ History and Origins

Origin of white feather1

First recorded in 1775–85; originally from a white feather in a gamecock's tail, taken as a sign of inferior breeding and hence of poor fighting qualities
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51³Ō¹Ļ History and Origins

Origin of white feather1

from the belief that a white feather in a gamecock's tail was a sign of a poor fighter
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. show the white feather, to behave in a cowardly manner.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

I didn’t know what to do, so I noticed the weird details: a cardinal outside his window and the way his hair sat on his head like white feathers.

From

The owls with haunting dark eyes and an ā€œXā€ pattern of white feathers on their face make their home in California’s central and southern mature forests.

From

In the final scene of ā€œForrest Gump,ā€ a white feather dances from Forrest’s feet, into the air, representing one of the movie’s major threads: Are life’s joys and agonies predestined, or are they indiscriminate?

From

During the emotional event, a white feather fell from the sky, which Ms Chambers took as a sign that Sara was looking down on them.

From

Looks were styled with exaggerated hats, including an oversized leather newsboy cap with eyelets, and a white baseball cap transformed to sculptural effect with white feathers.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American HeritageĀ® Idioms Dictionary copyright Ā© 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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