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Brewer's: Talking Bird

A bird that spoke with a human voice, and could call all other birds to sing in concert. (The Sisters who Envied their Younger Sister; Arabian Nights.) (See Green Bird.) Source:…

Brewer's: Jail-bird

(A). One who has been in jail as a prisoner. “At this late period of Christianity we are brought up to abhor jail-birds as we do toads.” —Beecher: The Plymouth Pulpit, August 30th, 1874,…

Brewer's: Psaphon's Birds

(Psaphonis aves). Puffers, flatterers. Psaphon, in order to attract the attention of the world, reared a multitude of birds, and having taught them to pronounce his name, let them fly. To…

Brewer's: Roman Birds

Eagles; so called because the ensign of the Roman legion was an eagle. “Romanas aves propria legionum numina.” —Tacitus. Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer,…

Vere Bird Biography

Vere BirdAge: 89 Antiguan who became powerful during the island's colonial period and went on to lead his country after it gained independence from Britain in 1981. The former prime minister…

Brewer's: Locust Bird

A native of Khorassan (Persia), so fond of the water of the Bird Fountain, between Shiraz and Ispahan, that it will follow wherever it is carried. Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable…

Brewer's: Junonian Bird

The peacock, dedicated to the goddess-queen. Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894JuntoJuno A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W…

Brewer's: White Bird

(The ). Conscience, or the soul of man. The Mahometans have preserved the old Roman idea in the doctrine that the souls of the just lie under the…

Brewer's: Widow Bird

A corruption of Whydaw bird. So called from the country of Whydaw, in Western Africa. The blunder is perpetuated in the scientific name given to the…

The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage

The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage Once upon a time, a mouse, a bird, and a sausage, entered into partnership and set up house together. For a long time all went well; they lived in great…