bird of passage

A person who remains unfixed to a certain location, relocating from one place to another. The economy has forced me to become a bird of passage, moving around the state to wherever I can find work. I need stability and consistency in my life, so I could never be married to a bird of passage like Lisa. We've been birds of passage for long enough—I think it's time we bought a house and settled down somewhere.

See also: bird, of, passage

bird of passage

A transient, one who is here today and gone tomorrow. For example, Mary moves nearly every year; she's a true bird of passage. This phrase transfers the literal meaning of a migrating bird to human behavior. [Second half of 1700s]

See also: bird, of, passage

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

a bird of passage

If you call someone a bird of passage, you mean that they never stay in one place for long. Most of these emigrants were birds of passage who returned to Spain after a relatively short stay.

See also: bird, of, passage

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

a bird of passage

someone who is always moving on.

Literally, a bird of passage is a migrant bird.

See also: bird, of, passage

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

a ˌbird of ˈpassage

a person who does not stay in a place for very long

See also: bird, of, passage

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References in periodicals archive ?

I am confident that we can expect the osprey to become a resident bird in future as opposed to being just a bird of passage.

Angling: A fish in its talons, an osprey is nature's supreme fisherman; But an eagle is always ready to frighten it into giving up its hard-won catch

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