Slang meanings
Like all slang terms, these may be confined to one or a few English-speaking countries.
- The bird is a colloquial name for the one-fingered salute.
- To give a performer "the bird" is to show rowdy contempt for his or her performance.
- A bird is a slang term for a woman, usually a young one, usually used in relation to sexual or relationship matters: "Me and my bird" = "My girlfriend and I". This is a reversal of the traditional usage: during the earlier part of the 20th century, a bird was always male. Hence "He's a strange old bird" meaning "he is a curious man".
- A jailbird is a prisoner. "Doing bird" is spending time in prison.
