rare bird

a rare bird

A person or thing that is very unusual, especially due to a combination of typically incompatible features. Their latest model is a rare bird indeed, a spacious hatchback that still feels premium and elegant in its design. The film is a rare bird—funny, crass, and yet more emotionally powerful than anything I've seen all year. The senator has spearheaded numerous bipartisan efforts, and she regularly campaigns on behalf of candidates from both major parties. She's certainly a rare bird in the world of politics.

See also: bird, rare

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

rare bird

an exceptional person or thing; a rarity.

The English expression is a literal translation of the Latin rara avis .

2005 Apollo Magazine Joseph Southall is that rare bird, an Arts and Crafts painter.

See also: bird, rare

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

rare bird

n. an unusual person; a person with rare talents or abilities. An interesting kind of rare bird is the man who can take long vacations and still make money.

See also: bird, rare

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

rare bird, a

An unusual phenomenon or person. The term is a translation from Juvenal’s Satires (ca. a.d. 120), in which, speaking of chastity, he writes, “Rara avis in terris nigroque simillima cygno” (A bird as rare upon the earth as a black swan). The term was soon being applied to other rare phenomena, often as sarcastically as Juvenal had used it, as, for example, for “an honest lawyer” (John Wesley, Journal, 1764).

See also: rare

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer