Archive for the 'Idioms' Category

This week’s idiom:

“A little bird told me.”

Origins:

This idiom is thought to have come from the Old Testament in the Bible, namely Ecclesiastes 10:20.

“Do not revile the king even in your thoughts,
or curse the rich in your bedroom,
because a bird of the air may carry your words,
and a bird on the wing may report what you say.”

Meaning:

It is used by people to state a fact from a secret source.

Example:

“How did you know that I came first in the race, Grandma?” said Laura.
“A little bird told me,” replied Grandma.

See also my article “What is an idiom?”

This week’s idiom:

“To foul one’s own nest.”

Origins:

This expression probably comes from the fact that many birds are careful not to foul their own nests. The droppings of the young are picked up from the nest by the adult birds and dropped on to the ground below the nest. There has been a proverb in existence for over a thousand years which says, “It is a foul bird that defiles its own nest.”

Meaning:

This idiom means simply to harm one’s own interests.

Example:

“By not picking up things after their teenage son, they allowed him to foul his own nest.”

See also my article “What is an idiom?“

This week’s idiom:

A nest egg

Origins:

It is thought that this expression comes from the days before large batteries of laying hens were kept in cages in sheds. The farmer would place a porcelain or plastic artificial egg in each nest to encourage the hens to lay more eggs. I remember doing this on the farm where I grew up. I have no evidence that it actually worked in producing more eggs. To my way of thinking today, the hen will only lay an egg when she is well and truly ready. One cannot force the issue.

Meanings:

This expression has entered our language from that farming practice. Having “a nest egg” is to set aside some money as an investment for the future. Having such a sum is supposed to be an inducement to add to it, thus making the amount grow. Just like the false nest egg was meant to be an inducement for the hen to lay more, so too a nest egg of money was to encourage one to save more.

In today’s world of share portfolios, cash management funds, financial planners and the like this term is hardly ever used any more and seems quite quaint. One might only ever hear the elderly use this term, especially those who may have grown up during the Depression years of the 1930s.

Example:

“To save ten dollars a week from your pay would be a wise method of ensuring you have a little nest egg for the future,” advised Grandpa.

See also my article “What is an idiom?“

It has been a while since I wrote about idioms. Time to get back on track again. This week’s idiom would probably be better posted on my Birding Blog.

This Week’s Idiom

To feather one’s nest

or

To feather one’s own nest

Origin

This idiom obviously comes from the practice of many birds to gather feathers to add to their nest in order to make it more comfortable for themselves while incubating the eggs and then warmer for the chicks once hatched. It has been suggested that some birds actually pluck their own feathers to add to the nest. I’ve never witnessed this in thirty years of birding but it could well be the case. More likely is the gathering of feathers left lying around after a bird dies, or is killed, or from the empty nests of other birds.

Meanings

The applied use of this idiom in common speech and in writing implies that the person being spoken of is gathering financial gain for himself at the expense of others, usually in a dishonest way. So to say that “Peter was feathering his own nest at the company’s expense” is to say that he was perhaps embezzling company funds.

It could also be applied to the misplaced motivation for an action. For example, “Susan only wanted to become a member of parliament to feather her own nest.”

Related article:

• What is an idiom? – including a definition.