nest

Birds in their little nests agree.

Prov. People who live together should try hard to get along peacefully. (Usually used to admonish children not to fight with each other.) Brother: She called me a name! Sister: I did not! He's a liar! Father: Now, now, kids—birds in their little nests agree. Let's not argue about this, guys. Birds in their little nests agree.

See also: agree, Bird, little

dust bunny and a dust kitten; a turkey's nest

Kg. a clump of dust and lint. She swept the dust bunnies out from under the bed. There's a huge dust kitten behind the chiffarobe. He hasn't cleaned in weeks. There are turkey's nests in every corner.

See also: bunny, dust

feather one's (own) nest 

1. Fig. to decorate and furnish one's home in style and comfort. (Alludes to birds lining their nests with feathers to make them warm and comfortable.) With the new family room and expanded kitchen, they seem to have feathered their nest quite comfortably.

2. Fig. to use power and prestige to provide for oneself selfishly. (Said especially of politicians who use their offices to make money for themselves.) The mayor seemed to be helping people, but she was really feathering her own nest. The building contractor used a lot of public money to feather his nest.

See also: feather

foul one's own nest

Fig. to harm one's own interests; to bring disadvantage upon oneself. (Alludes to a bird excreting into its own nest. See also It's an ill bird that fouls its own nest.) He tried to discredit a fellow senator with the president, but just succeeded in fouling his own nest. The boss really dislikes Mary. She certainly fouled her own nest when she spread those rumors about him.

See also: foul

It's an ill bird that fouls its own nest.

Prov. Only a foolish or dishonorable person would bring dishonor to his or her self or his or her surroundings.; Only a bad person would ruin the place where he or she lives. (See also foul one's own nest.) I don't like my new neighbor. Not only does he never mow his lawn, he covers it with all kinds of trash. It's an ill bird that fouls its own nest.

See also: bird, foul, ill

nest in something

to build a nest in something and live in it. Some mice nested in a corner of the garage. The birds nested in the eaves.

nest together

to fit together or within one another compactly. These mixing bowls nest together. I want some of those Russian wooden dolls that nest together.

See also: together

stir someone up

Fig. to get someone excited; to get someone angry. (Fig. on stir something up.) The march music really stirred the audience up. The march stirred up the audience.

See also: stir, up

stir something up 

1. Lit. to mix something by stirring. Please stir the pancake batter up before you use it. Please stir up the batter.

2. Fig. to cause trouble. Why are you always trying to stir trouble up? Are you stirring up trouble again?

See also: stir, up

stir up a hornet's nest

Fig. to create a lot of trouble. (Fig. on stir something up .) If you say that to her, you will be stirring up a hornet's nest. There is no need to stir up a hornet's nest.

See also: stir, up

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a cuckoo in the nest

someone who is part of a group of people but different from them and not liked by them For Peter, his new father was a cuckoo in the nest.

See also: cuckoo

a hornet's nest

a situation or subject which causes a lot of people to become angry and upset

Usage notes: A hornet is a large insect that stings people badly.

His remarks on the role of women have stirred up a hornet's nest amongst feminists. Animal cloning is a real hornet's nest.

a love nest

a home where two people who love each other live together, or a home where two people meet secretly in order to have sex Apparently, they had a love nest in Soho where they used to meet at lunchtime.

See also: love

a mare's nest

a very confused situation The law on restrictive trade is a mare's nest that scarcely anyone can comprehend.

a nest egg

an amount of money that you have saved Regular investment of small amounts of money is an excellent way of building a nest egg.

See also: egg

empty nest syndrome

the sad feelings which parents have when their children grow up and leave home The last of her children had recently moved out and she was suffering from empty nest syndrome.

See also: empty

feather your own nest

to dishonestly use your position at work to get a lot of money for yourself What angers him most of all is the implication that he has been feathering his own nest.

See You could have knocked me down with a feather!

See also: feather

fly/leave the nest

to leave your parents' home for the first time in order to live somewhere else Once the kids have all flown the nest we might sell this house and move somewhere smaller.

See also: fly

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feather your (own) nest

to make a lot of money for yourself While the CEO feathered his own nest, his company was firing employees by the hundreds.

Usage notes: usually said about someone who takes unfair advantage of others

Related vocabulary: line your (own) pockets

See also: feather

leave the nest also fly the nest

to move from your parents' home and live independently Our kids have all left the nest and the house seems empty now.

See also: leave

stir up somebody/something also stir up a hornet's nest

to cause a situation that upsets many people One official claimed that foreign activists were stirring up trouble. The threat of censorship stirred up a hornet's nest of criticism on the Internet.

See also: stir, up