In a message dated 17/04/02 15:35:43 GMT Daylight Time,
bleekerbooks@hotmail.com writes:
<<
I really think it's the other way 'round. I can't find
my copy of Hugh
Rawson's DICTIONARY OF EUPHEMISMS, a great and
hilarious book, so I can't be
sure. BTW, there's a line from "Polythyne Pam" (sp?)
where John sings,
"It's a little absurd, but she's a nice lot of bird..."
So it was current
in the late 60s at least.
Graham
------------- >> I think he sings.
"She's the kind of a bird Who'd make the News of the World So
you could say she was attractively built"
News of the World is a tabloid newspaper that was the epitomy
of down market, scandal rag journalism - sex etc. Also had
pin ups, I think, but couldn't swear to it. I think it's much
older than that.
I don't have the Oxford English Dictionary, which would give
the full derivation, but, Brewers Dictionary of Phrase and
Fable, says:
"The word has evolved from the Old English brid.... The word
was also used to mean "girl". though it lacked the
disparaging overtones that it now sometimes has in this
context. It can also be used to refer to any person,
especially when used with an adjective. An odd bird is thus a
strange person......"
So, the battle fields of Medieval Europe no doubt resounded
to doughty English soldiers screaming "shit bird" at their
foes!
Cheers all. Colin
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