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View synonyms for catbird seat

catbird seat

noun

, Informal.
  1. an advantageous situation or condition:

    His appointment as acting dean put him in the catbird seat.



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Word History and Origins

Origin of catbird seat1

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45
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Idioms and Phrases

A situation of advantage or superiority, as in His promotion put Charles in the catbird seat . This term is thought to allude to that noisy bird's habitual high perch. It was popularized in the 1940s by sportscaster Red Barber.
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Example Sentences

“Putin's aim is to show that he is in the catbird seat, and there is nothing we can do about it,” this former officer said.

You might have thought that with Borders shutting down, Barnes and Noble would be sitting in the catbird seat.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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