white feather

noun

Chiefly British.

1. a symbol of cowardice.

white feather

noun

1. a symbol or mark of cowardice

2. to act in a cowardly manner

Word History and Origins

Origin of white feather¹

First recorded in 1775–85; originally from a white feather in a gamecock's tail, taken as a sign of inferior breeding and hence of poor fighting qualities

Word History and Origins

Origin of white feather¹

from the belief that a white feather in a gamecock's tail was a sign of a poor fighter

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. show the white feather, to behave in a cowardly manner.

see show the white feather.

Example Sentences

Its fluffy coating of white feathers was flattened with salt spray, making it look—and smell— convincingly like a large white seabird, or the remains of one.

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The red paprika dusted over white feathers had turned them a most unchickenlike shade of pink.

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"My friend's little girl came running up to me and said, 'Look what's landed on me' and a white feather had landed on her, so I just felt like he was here on the day."

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Like Gizmo, this eagle had a dark tail with hardly any white feathers, said Sandy Steers, executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

I didn’t know what to do, so I noticed the weird details: a cardinal outside his window and the way his hair sat on his head like white feathers.

Read more on Los Angeles Times