catbird seat
nounEtymology
The expression, as it was in use in the 19th century in the southern United States, may originate in regard to the gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis). It was featured in the 1942 short story "The Catbird Seat" by James Thurber, and popularized by baseball commentator Red Barber, and often referred to baseball. The expression, according to James Thurber, comes from the observation of the catbird (an Australian bird) of the family Ptilonorhynchidae. Some of the male birds will assemble several hundred colored rocks or shells, arranging them in a remarkable artistic display, in order to build a "seat" atop which his mate will eventually be enthroned.
Definitions
An enviable position, often one of great advantage.
- With a big victory in the primary, he was sitting in the catbird seat.
The neighborhood
Vish — recursive loop
No curated loop yet for catbird seat. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.
sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA