"for the birds"
Posted by Antiquary on June 13, 2006
In Reply to: "For the birds" posted by Mario E. Hernandez on June 13, 2006
: Can someone tell me where the expression "for the birds" as when we say "this weather is fo the birds" came from?
J D Salinger employed the phrase 'strictly for the birds' in Catcher In The Rye , and that seems to be the earliest known usage. In 1957 a writer in the journal American Speech wrote, 'The metaphor alludes to birds eating droppings from horses and cattle'. Nice.
- "for the birds" R. Berg 14/June/06