Birds of a feather

Meaning

The idiom "birds of a feather flock together" means that people who have similar interests, opinions, or characteristics tend to spend time together and avoid those who are different from them. The metaphorical meaning is that these people are like birds with the same feathers or qualities, and they naturally gravitate towards each other.

Usage

• "The group of fitness enthusiasts were like birds of a feather, all wearing matching workout clothes and talking about their latest marathons."
• "The political party had members who were as different as night and day, but they stayed together because they were birds of a feather in terms of their ideology."
• "As soon as I met her, we hit it off like two birds of a feather, both of us passionate about photography."
• "Despite coming from different backgrounds, the musicians in the band were birds of a feather when it came to their love for jazz music."
• "I've noticed that my colleagues who are good at coding are like birds of a feather, they all use the same programming language and work on similar projects."

Roots and History

The idiom can be traced back to a proverb in Old English called "flawes þegefeogan," which means "birds of a kind." Over time, the phrase evolved to its current form and became an idiom used to describe people who have similar characteristics or interests. The phrase has been used in literature, including William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, where the character Polonius says, "They that are of one mind...are birds of a feather."

Synonyms in English

• Like kindred spirits
• Like fish in water
• Like peas in a pod
• Like apples of the same tree
• Like a pack of wolves

Synonyms in other languages

• Spanish - "De la misma madera" (From the same wood)
• French - "De même couleur" (Of the same color)
• Italian - "Di uguale natura" (Of equal nature)
• German - "Von gleicher Art" (Of the same kind)
• Japanese - "同じ色" (Of the same color)

Similar Idioms

• brought forward

• bigger fish to fry

• no spring chicken