English · Idiom Attested

birds of a feather

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

People with similar interests.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

những người có sở thích tương tự

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Examples

birds of a feather aren't they really?

She's told them what to do, birds of a feather.

British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Rogues of the same gang.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Những kẻ lừa đảo trong cùng một nhóm

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Era: ca. 1811 (Georgian)

Where it’s used: Origin British & Irish English

Sources & notes

Historical definition reproduced from Grose’s Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811 edition, public domain; Project Gutenberg #5402, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.

Equivalents & related

Near equivalent ngưu tầm ngưu, mã tầm mã Close to the English saying: “Birds of a feather flock together.”. Tiếng Việt Near equivalent cá mè một lứa birds of a feather flock together Tiếng Việt Near equivalent birds of a feather flock together People with similar interests or characteristics gather together English · via ngưu tầm ngưu, mã tầm mã Near equivalent blood is thicker than water Family ties are stronger than any other relationship English · via cá mè một lứa

Lighter cards are two steps away in the meaning graph — equivalents of equivalents, reached via the entry shown on the card.

Topics: Birds Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “birds of a feather” mean?

People with similar interests.

Is “birds of a feather” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

What is the closest equivalent?

“ngưu tầm ngưu, mã tầm mã” (Tiếng Việt) — near equivalent.