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#33572
06/25/2001 10:06 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
A query to the bird lovers among us. I know that the expression "catbird seat" has been accepted so widely that there is no hope of changing it, but I would welcome comments from those of us who have observed catbirds as to whether or not they have actually observed a catbird perched on a high place, let alone acting bold.
I have seen many catbirds when I lived in Massachusetts. They were very shy, almost always in thick shrubs. I never saw one perched elsewhere. Never did I see one on top of a telephone pole, dead tree, chimney, or any such place. None of the bird books I used to have mentioned any preference for a high perch.
On the other hand, the mockingbird perches on top of telephone poles, telephone wires,or chimneys, from which they dive to catch insects, particularly when they have young to feed. And they act cocky as the devil. It is fun to watch then torment a squirrel doing a tightrope act on the TV cable, pecking the squirrels posterior knowing the squirrel has to concentrate on his footwork and cannot retaliate in any way. They also boldly drive crows away.
I think Red Barber did not know how to tell a mockingbird from a catbird. Actually, the mockingbird is easy to identify, as it has large white patches in middle third of wings that no other bird close to houses has.
Think it over, and let's see how many people still feel willing to go along with Red Barber. Any untruth repeated often enough becomes gospel.
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#33573
06/26/2001 1:45 AM
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Dr. Bill, Atomica defines catbird seat as "a position of power or prominence". I only see catbirds occasionally, so I can't say for sure, but from what I have seen, they are not particularly domineering. Mockingbirds can be, but not as much as bluejays. Even robins are, in nesting time: the spring before our cat adopted us, a male robin would sit in the same spot out back for hours, making announcements to everybody!
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#33574
06/26/2001 2:37 AM
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
bill, I don't know when Red Barber was using this, but the first *written citation is this: 2. Phr. the catbird seat: a superior or advantageous position. U.S. slang.
1942 J. Thurber in 55 Short Stories from New Yorker (1949) 61 ‘Sitting in the catbird seat’ meant sitting pretty, like a batter with three balls and no strikes on him
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#33575
06/26/2001 2:27 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
But the point I'm trying to make is that catbirds don't "sit pretty". They are shy and hide. The phrase just doesn't make sense, which suggests that whoever started it very likely confused the catbird with the mockingbird, whose behaviour would fit the phrase very well.
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#33576
06/26/2001 2:35 PM
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
Jus ain' got the ring to it.
How bout "Sitting in the jaybird seat"?
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#33578
06/29/2001 12:40 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819 |
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#33579
06/29/2001 1:02 PM
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
I knew they *sounded like cats.
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#33580
07/03/2001 6:00 PM
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
I emailed Bob Edwards of NPR who used to have weekly conversations with Red Barber. There is a reference to their conversation about the term "catbird seat" in the book Fridays With Red : A Radio Friendship by Bob Edwards. Anyone got a copy? Pp 43-49.
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