for the birds

Cultural  

1. Worthless: “The last scheme you came up with was really for the birds.”

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for the birds Idioms  

1. Worthless, not to be taken seriously, no good. For example, This conference is for the birds—let's leave now. This term has been said to allude to horse droppings from which birds would extract seeds. This seemingly fanciful theory is borne out by a more vulgar version of this idiom, shit for the birds. [Slang; first half of 1900s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

for the birds

"So this is like the caviar of the seed for the birds."

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

Some of these birds have been temporarily migrating into England, but the study estimated that without further support it would take 20 years for the birds to naturally expand and settle further south.

From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026

Shortly after, a pair of eagles nested on the north side, bolstering Big Bear Valley’s role as vital habitat for the birds of prey.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2026

One major factor in this decline is competition with local fisheries that catch sardines and anchovies, which are essential prey for the birds.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 17, 2025

“Falconers working for the birds of prey, not the birds of prey working for falconers.”

From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Related Words

• astonishing
• implausible
• impossible
• improbable
• inconceivable
• incredible
• outlandish
• preposterous
• too much
• unimaginable
• unthinkable