featherbed
Americanverb (used with or without object)
Etymology
Origin of featherbed
First recorded in 1945–50; back formation from featherbedding
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Alastair Cook scored 244 not out on this ground in 2017 but despite this pitch offering more assistance to bowlers than that featherbed, Australia will look to build a match-defining lead on day two.
From BBC ● Dec. 26, 2021
The lights flickered on and weightlessness returned, cradling me like a featherbed.
From Nature ● Oct. 17, 2017
“The program has also become a kind of featherbed for parents who might have, in the past, considered redshirting their children.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2016
The pitch for that match was a slow featherbed which contributed to a bore draw.
From The Guardian ● May 19, 2013
Shae murmured sleepily and rolled toward him when he sat on the edge of the featherbed.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Commuters have been "featherbedded" but other passengers have been hit hard, Doe argues.
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2013
A solid pension, good connections, membership of the right clubs, a contented, featherbedded old age.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 21, 2012
The couple's action-packed lifestyle comes thanks to their erstwhile employer, telecom company Pacific Bell, which featherbedded them into early retirement.
From Time ● Jun. 11, 2011
He ran the line with scab labor, and managers trimmed featherbedded jobs and produced the road's first profits since World War II.
From Time Magazine Archive
Tens of thousands of featherbedded employees jammed deficit-ridden state enterprises.
From Time Magazine Archive
This full-employment plan for kooks and hucksters gives new meaning to featherbedding.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 16, 2022
We can certainly find lots of instances of journalistic corruption -- fake quotes, fabricated stories, featherbedding etc.
From Fox News ● Sep. 16, 2020
The police have not defined their costs, and without a clear accounting of them, Wittenberg and other race promoters say they could end up becoming a victim of featherbedding.
From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2011
When every joke about your business mentions featherbedding, you should be worried about outsourcing.
From Economist ● Dec. 16, 2010
No featherbedding, I was told, like our roads unfortunately have.
From Epistles from Pap: Letters from the man known as 'The Will Rogers of Indiana' by Douglas (Douglas N.) Hay
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