10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «BE A BOX OF BIRDS»
Discover the use of
be a box of birds in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to
be a box of birds and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
A Dictionary
of Slang and Unconventional English
'[Lt Cdr] Doug Taylor had seen the first Harrier ['jump-jet' aircraft] fly offa ski-jump .
.. ”l was not especially excited,” he says. ”I had always been confident that it
would be a box of birds'” (Telegraph Sunday mag., 6 May 1979). box of dominoes
.
2
Oxford Dictionary
of English
phrases be a box of birds NZ informal be fine or happy. box of tricks informal an
ingenious gadget: all those magical effects were produced by this little box of
tricks here. out of the box Austral./NZ informal unusually good: the novel is
nothing ...
3
Oxford Dictionary
of English Idioms
... will resort unto their like' (Ecclesiasticus 27:9). be a box of birds: see BOX. do
bird serve a prison sentence. British informal o In this phrase bird comes from
rhyming slang birdlime 'time'. early bird: see EARLY. flip someone the bird stick
your ...
4
The New Partridge Dictionary
of Slang and Unconventional ...
1943 • I had always been confident it would be a box of birds.— Sunday
Telegraph. 6th May 1979 • — Louis S. Leland, A Personal Kiwi-Vankee
Dictionary, p. 17, 1984 box of fruit; bowl of fruit noun a Suit NEWZEALAND, 1963
Rhyming slang.
Eric Partridge, Tom Dalzell, Terry Victor, 2006
5
The Oxford Dictionary
of Idioms
British informal 1950 Alexander BaronThere's No Home If you box clever and
keep your mouth shut ... you ought to be able to count on a suspended sentence.
be a box of birds be fine or happy. Australian & New Zealand a box of tricks an ...
6
Allen's Dictionary
of English Phrases
19th cent. box be a box of birds Australian and NZ, informal to be in good health,
happy, etc. Mid 20th cent. D M Davin For the Rest of Our Lives 1947 Everyone is
a box ofbirds, still celebrating being alive. box clever British, informal to conduct ...
7
Little Red Book
of Idioms and Phrases
Used totellsomeone that they should feel themselvesworthy of applause Back in
your box No longer conspicuous or calling attentionto yourself; returned to a low
profile Box clever Act so as to outwit someone Be a box of birds Be fine or happy
...
8
English: One Language, Different Cultures
will often be: 'a box of birds', 'a box of fluffy ducks', 'okey doke', 'kapai' (fine), 'tino
pai' (excellent), 'pretty good, considering' or, more recently, 'sweet as'. When
things are 'just OK', you will hear terms like 'fair to middling' or 'half-pai'.
Eddie Ronowicz, Colin Yallop, 2007
9
Te Ao mārama: contemporary Māori writing
'Oh no, nothing like that, he'll be a box of birds in a day or two,' she sounded
almost gay, 'after one or two little jobs have been attended to. But I'm afraid we
can't do it here, he'll have to go somewhere else.' The little smile became rueful
as ...
Haare Williams, Irihapeti Ramsden, Witi Tame Ihimaera, 1992
10
Electric city and other stories
'Right,' 'You'll be a box of birds when I come back on tomorrow.' There's a world
spinning, dust-covered, where stick people search, finding nothing. People are
calling her name. People calling. Someone . . . wiping her face. 'Passed out on us
, ...
