Synonyms

for the birds

Cultural

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

for the birds Idioms

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]

Example Sentences

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for the birds

Alongside their release, the authority have planted suitable plants for the birds to feed on - including "weedy" wildflowers like fumitory and vetch.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

But before the advent of refrigeration and the railways, getting turkeys from Norfolk and Suffolk farms to the capital involved a long walk for the birds.

From BBC ● Dec. 24, 2025

“H Is for Hawk” is for the birds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025

As for the birds, we have no advice.

From Barron's ● Nov. 25, 2025

It was very dull for the birds in jail.

From "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Florence Atwater and Richard Atwater

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

for the birds

Example Sentences

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