- Home
- Idioms
- show the white feather
show the white feather
show the white feather
Display cowardice, as in The minute Bob put up his fists, Bill showed the white feather and backed down. This expression comes from cockfighting, where a white feather in a bird's tail is considered a sign of inferior breeding. [Early 1800s]
show the white feather
To act like a coward.
Common Names:
| Name | Gender | Pronounced | Usage |
|---|
| Houda | | - | Arabic |
| Leoncio | | le-ON-thyo (Spanish), le-ON-syo (Latin American Spanish) | Spanish |
| Moe (1) | | MO | English |
| MÜNİR | | - | Turkish |
| Acres | | ['eikəz] | |
| Rochus | | - | German, Dutch, Ancient Germanic (Latinized) |