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

When the landlord offered him multiple units on the property, Heiser offered Cornell a sizable rear unit for Rare Bird, a publishing company and record label whose output encompasses musicians’ memoirs, vinyl audiobooks and beautiful reissues of Jack Kerouac and J.G.

From Los Angeles Times

Anna Whiston-Donaldson is a writer whose memoir “Rare Bird: A Memoir of Loss and Love” and children’s book “A Hug From Heaven” help those dealing with grief.

From Washington Post

Cardona had spent two decades nurturing the rare bird, a species once thought extinct.

From Washington Post

A devoted grandmother and recovering drug addict, Jesus-loving Sunday school teacher and Guggenheim fellow, 12-stepping TED talker and small-town writer whose book sales top 4 million, Lamott is that rare bird, a progressive stalwart beloved in coastal cities and flyover hamlets alike.

From Washington Post