for the birds

English

Etymology

From birds pecking at horse dung, originally US Army slang, 1940s.^[1]

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Adjective

for the birds (not comparable)

1. (idiomatic, informal) Worthless; useless; pointless; not deserving serious consideration.
   • 1946 September 2, “Radio: Early Bird”, in Time:

     Says he: "This gettin' up at 5 o'clock is something for the birds."

   • 2004 February 15, Colin Brown, “Council tax to be replaced by new levy on incomes”, in telegraph.co.uk, retrieved 4 Aug. 2009:

     One ally of the Deputy Prime Minister said: "This is blue-sky thinking, but it is strictly for the birds. It is going to cost billions."

   • 2015, “Saints, Pelicans owner Tom Benson confident as trial closes”, in ESPN:

     When asked if the trial has taken a lot out of him, Benson said, "Ahh, no, man. You know, it's not fun, it's not any fun. To have your kids turn against you, that's for the birds."

Related terms

• shit for the birds

Translations

Translations

German: für die Katz (de) Polish: do bani (pl)

References

1. Gary Martin (1997–) “For the birds”, in The Phrase Finder, retrieved November 16, 2016.