for the birds

Cultural  

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

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for the birds Idioms  

1. 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]

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Example Sentences

Shortly after, a pair of eagles nested on the north side, bolstering Big Bear Valley’s role as vital habitat for the birds of prey.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 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

As for the birds, we have no advice.

From Barron's • Nov. 25, 2025

One major factor in this decline is competition with local fisheries that catch sardines and anchovies, which are essential prey for the birds.

From Science Daily • Nov. 17, 2025

“I was just waiting for the birds to come and get me. I wasn’t going to step off.”

From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon

Related Words

• astonishing
• implausible
• impossible
• improbable
• inconceivable
• incredible
• outlandish
• preposterous
• too much
• unimaginable
• unthinkable