white feather

white feather

n. A sign of cowardice.Idiom: show the white feather To act like a coward.

---

[From the belief that a gamecock with a white feather in its tail was a poor fighter.]

white feather

n 1. a symbol or mark of cowardice 2. show the white feather to act in a cowardly manner [from the belief that a white feather in a gamecock's tail was a sign of a poor fighter]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

white feather - a symbol of cowardice symbolic representation, symbolisation, symbolization, symbol - something visible that by association or convention represents something else that is invisible; "the eagle is a symbol of the United States"