Etymology of the word "stoolpigeon" - English Language & Usage …
2012年1月11日 · Stool pigeon has three meanings: A decoy bird, or a police informer, or criminal's look-out or decoy. The first meaning was a decoy bird (1812). This then became a …
Is "pidgeon" a correct alternate spelling of "pigeon"?
This etymological site suggests the term 'Pidgeon''s etymology is unclear but Wikipedia states "Pidgeon is a surname from an archaic spelling of pigeon". The term Ring-Dove , or a Wood …
etymology - Why did "pigeon" replace the native word "culver ...
2023年10月3日 · Culver is an earlier native word for a pigeon, a dove; from Old English culfre, culufre. OED mentions that culver was once common and the latest citation given is from …
expressions - some days the pigeon, some days the statue
2015年2月2日 · Closed 9 years ago. There is a common expression in english - "some days the pigeon, and some days the statue". The meaning is self explanatory- Certain days go really …
What is the professional title of a messenger-bird-keeper?
2015年6月8日 · And the first usage cited is in 1918. So this word was coined by the U.S. Army circa World War I, and any older uses would be anachronistic. But appropriating it for a fantasy …
What's the origin of "flipping the bird"? - English Language
2012年4月19日 · 2. The earliest use in print I found of the exact phrase "flip the bird" or "flipped the bird" or "flipping the bird" is from a 1967 Broadside (Volume 6, Issues 17-26). (The …
Night owl AND early bird - English Language & Usage Stack …
2016年7月5日 · As both "early bird" and "night owl" connote the fact that this is the person's habitual sleep pattern, not just a personal preference or an occasional capacity to function …
idioms - "To shoot out of cannon into sparrows" - English …
2013年1月16日 · 985 3 13 20. 9. This should probably be translated as "To shoot sparrows with a cannon". Sparrows are small but cannonballs are huge and simply obliterate tiny birds. – …
Is it correct to say "the bird is in the tree" or "on the tree"?
2010年12月8日 · But I don't think it does. Gilbert is offering a little sketch of a bird singing, and to do so it must sit on a branch. We're given a close-up of the bird, and the economy of words …
Origin of the term "deadeye" meaning "expert marksman"?
The long talked-of pigeon match between T. F. Gorman, of Mahanoy City, and Joe Martin, better known as "Deadeye Dick," also of Mahanoy City, will take place at 3:30 o'clock to-morrow …