A Feather in Your Cap, and Birds of a Feather
A feather is one of the light structures covering a bird. Few objects have given English so many everyday phrases.
A feather is one of the light, branching structures that cover birds: insulation, waterproofing and flight in one. No other small object has left so many phrases behind — a feather in your cap, birds of a feather, light as a feather, featherweight, and to feather your nest.
- One of the coverings on a bird. *A single feather on the path.*
- To turn a blade edge-on. *Feather the oars.*
- To blend an edge. *Feather the paint at the join.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | feather | A grey feather. |
| Plural | feathers | Ruffled feathers. |
| Adjective | feathery | Feathery clouds. |
| Adjective | feathered | Feathered friends. |
| Related | plumage | Winter plumage. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The prize was another feather in her cap.An achievement to be proud of.
- Birds of a feather flock together.Meaning like attracts like.
- Try not to ruffle his feathers.To ruffle feathers is to irritate.
What feathers do
- Flight feathers — the long stiff ones on wings and tail
- Down — the soft insulating layer underneath
- Contour feathers — the outer shape and waterproofing
- Preening — how birds maintain and oil them
- Moulting — replacing them, usually once or twice a year
From Old English *fether*, with relatives in German *Feder* and, further back, in Greek *pteron*, wing — the *ptero-* of *pterodactyl* and *helicopter*.
Where does *a feather in your cap* come from?
From the custom, recorded in several cultures, of adding a feather to a headdress for each success in hunting or battle.
What does *featherweight* mean?
A boxing division for light fighters, and by extension anything of little weight or importance.