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white feather

noun

Chiefly British.

a symbol of cowardice.

white feather

noun

a symbol or mark of cowardice
show the white feather
to act in a cowardly manner

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Word 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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Word 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

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

More idioms and phrases containing white feather

see show the white feather .

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The owls with haunting dark eyes and an “X” pattern of white feathers on their face make their home in California’s central and southern mature forests.

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In the final scene of “Forrest Gump,” 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?

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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.

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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.

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The little old Queen shaped exactly like a teapot, with white feathers in her bonnet.

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

white false hellebore Whitefield

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