Prince of Wales 's feathers
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
See PRINCE OF WALES. Tarred and feathered. See TAR.
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 “Prince of Wales 's feathers” mean?
See PRINCE OF WALES. Tarred and feathered. See TAR.
Is “Prince of Wales 's feathers” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.