fine feathers make fine birds
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
See FEATHER. Old birds are not to be caught with chaff. Experience teaches wisdom.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “fine feathers make fine birds” mean?
See FEATHER. Old birds are not to be caught with chaff. Experience teaches wisdom.
Is “fine feathers make fine birds” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.