rare bird, a

Idioms  

1. An exceptional individual, a unique person, as in That wife of yours is a rare bird; you're lucky to have her. This idiom, generally used as a compliment, is a translation of the Latin rara avis, which itself was used from about 1600 on and began to be translated only in the late 1800s.

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Example Sentences

It is a doubly rare bird: a surprising blow to the business bar that is rooted in an unusually rigorous application of originalism.

From Slate • Jun. 28, 2023

But it also might be presenting itself as an increasingly rare bird, a throwback to the days when big stars, baroque weapons and a little parlor trickery could yield an inordinate amount of pleasure.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2019

Beheshti was considered by US officials to be a rare bird: a pragmatic, English-speaking cleric with a university education, experience of living in the West, and close ties to Khomeini.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2016

Kentucky will face Wisconsin, which is that rare bird, a veteran-led Final Four team.

From New York Times • Mar. 30, 2015

Rara avis, rā′ra ā′vis, n. a rare bird: a remarkable person:—pl.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various