catbird seat
An enviable position, often one of great advantageAn enviable position, often one of great advantage.
Meaning
1 senses(US, idiomatic)An enviable position, often one of great advantage.
With a big victory in the primary, he was sitting in the catbird seat.
Origin
The expression, as it was in use in the 19th century in the southern United States, may orThe expression, as it was in use in the 19th century in the southern United States, may originate in regard to the gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis). It was featured in the 1942 short story "The Catbird Seat" by James Thurber, and popularized by baseball commentator Red Barber, and often referred to baseball. The expression, according to James Thurber, comes from the observation of the catbird (an Australian bird) of the family Ptilonorhynchidae. Some of the male birds will assemble several hundred colored rocks or shells, arranging them in a remarkable artistic display, in order to build a "seat" atop which his mate will eventually be enthroned.
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Forms
plural: catbird seats| Singular | catbird seat |
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| Plural | catbird seats |
regular