bird of passage

American  

noun

1. a bird that migrates seasonally.

2. a transient or migratory person.

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bird of passage British  

noun

1. a bird that migrates seasonally

2. a transient person or one who roams about

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bird of passage Idioms  

1. A transient, one who is here today and gone tomorrow. For example, Mary moves nearly every year; she's a true bird of passage. This phrase transfers the literal meaning of a migrating bird to human behavior. [Second half of 1700s]

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Etymology

Origin of bird of passage

First recorded in 1785–95

Example Sentences

In his early years, Daniel Klein darted through Europe like a bird of passage, moving from town to town under the same vagabond spell that draws so many young backpackers today.

From New York Times • Jan. 14, 2014

In recent years, the pilgrim has become a rare bird of passage in Christendom.

From Time Magazine Archive

She is a bird of passage, always about to leave one movie location for the next.

From Time Magazine Archive

She never imitates, and if her real hope of success is only a fluttering bird of passage, that plumed creature is sure to be faultlessly preened and exquisitely feathered.

From Time Magazine Archive

Fectnor was an evil bird of passage who had come and gone.

From Children of the Desert by Dodge, Louis