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old bird

British  

noun

  1. humorous a wary and astute person

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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Scientists are now able to extract some genetic material from old bird specimens by scraping the pads of the toes.

From New York Times ● Aug. 31, 2021

Why would you want a tough old bird?

From Time ● Nov. 20, 2015

Mandell's Solomon, his hands aflutter as though dancing on the keys of an adding machine, traverses the stage like an old bird on twig-like legs that are about to snap.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 22, 2015

"It must be a fairly smart old bird to have survived all that," he said.

From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2014

As to what I dare, I’m a old bird now, as has dared all manner of traps since first he was fledged, and I’m not afeerd to perch upon a scarecrow.

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

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