That bird is not honest

Posted by Victoria S Dennis on May 13, 2005

In Reply to: That bird is not honest posted by Mukta on May 13, 2005

: What does the phrase "that bird is not honest that filleth his own nest" mean?

:: It's a 16th-century ancestor of the modern phrase "to feather one's own nest", which means to take advantage of a situation for one's own profit. It's usually used disapprovingly, e.g. of corrupt officials.