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cowbird†
DCHP-1 (pre-1967)
Entry from the DCHP-1 (pre-1967)
This entry may contain outdated or offensive information, terms, and examples.
1n.
a small, black bird, Molothrus ater, having a short bill and bright eyes, noted for its practice of laying eggs in the nests of other birds and for its symbiotic attendance on cattle.
Quotations
1908
The cow bird . . . imposes its eggs on several of our smaller flycatchers. . . .
1955
The cowbirds [were] formerly called buffalo-birds. . . .
2n. — Slang
a sponger; freeloader; grafter.
Quotations
1910
". . . I'll take the law into my own hands an' wallop seven kinds of daylight out of that cowbird."