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Two budgies don't make a snowstorm

Posted by R. Berg on May 09, 2008 at 16:47

In Reply to: Two budgies don't make a snowstorm posted by pamela on May 08, 2008 at 23:53:

: : : : : : What does "two budgies don't make a snowstorm" mean? Where does it come from? Has anyone heard this phrase before?

: : : : : Well it's not from the U.S. We call them parakeets here.

: : : : Never heard of it and I get zero Google hits for "two budgies" and either "snowstorm" or "snow storm" in the same sentence.

: : : Two robins don't make a spring. Or something like that.

: :
: : If someone said it to me I would assume that it was an amusingly nonsensical way of saying "Something is being exaggerated" i.e. two mice don't make a plague or two raindrops don't make a rainstorm. I say nonsensical because budgies aren't white (they are very brightly coloured) so even a huge flock wouldn't (visually) resemble a snowstorm. As for the "two robins don't make a spring" link - the appearance of budgies doesn't foretell snow because they are native to areas where it is too hot for snow. BTW, we have parakeets in Australia as well as budgies. I checked this out and it turns out that a parakeet is just any small to medium sized species of parrot. So we just give the budgie a special name since they are so common, whereas the US people seem to lump them in with the bigger group. Pamela

My guess on "Two budgies" is that it's a takeoff on "One swallow doesn't make a summer." Americans do use the word "budgie" as well as "parakeet." ~rb (U.S.)

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