Buzzard Picnic

Posted by Bruce Kahl on July 12, 2001

In Reply to: Buzzard Picnic posted by R. Berg on July 12, 2001

: : : I'm trying to find the meaning of the phrase "buzzard picnic".

: : I couldn't find this phrase in any of my references. It's a good one. I am guessing that if someone is a "buzzard picnic," it means he is a "goner," "dead meat," "stick a fork in him, he's done," "somebody call the funeral home." What do the rest of the Phrase Finder Folk think?

: It isn't in my references either, and I agree with ESC's interpretation if "buzzard picnic" is a description of an individual. Not having the context where the phrase occurred, I can imagine it being applied to a group or a scene: "I stepped into the lobby of the old folks' home and looked around. Man, was that a buzzard picnic!"

I found a few uses of the phrase at a couple of different sites but I cant make out the meaning at all.
Here is one usage:

"It was a veritable buzzard's picnic in Carlsbad, NM on June 14 - 17 as a number of adventurous members of the BBQ Mailing List gathered for a week of cooking, eating, and telling lies. It was a fun time with lots of delicious food that no one who attended will soon forget. If you are ever passing through Carlsbad, NM be sure to stop into Danny's Dairy Queen for some of the best BBQ to be found anywhere. Speaking for everyone who attended, "Thank you Danny and Carolyn!"

• Image With Caption Bruce Kahl 07/12/01