sick as a parrot

9.3

Very disappointed and upset because things did not turn out well

idiom

: muy decepcionado

She felt sick as a parrot when she didn't get the promotion she worked so hard for.

Examples

He was sick as a parrot when his team lost in the final minutes of the match.
After hearing the disappointing results, they were all sick as a parrot.
After losing the match, John felt sick as a parrot.
She was sick as a parrot when she found out her flight was canceled.
After losing the final match, the team was as sick as a parrot and couldn't bear to celebrate.
When he found out he didn't get the job, he felt sick as a parrot about the whole process.
Her face said it all; she was sick as a parrot when she heard the news about the canceled concert.

Synonyms

as miserable as a wet hen

vssick as a parrot

Informal

9.9

Very sad and upset, often after something bad happens

is used for extreme disappointment after a specific unfavorable outcome

Antonyms

thrilled

171 2.3

Feeling very excited and happy

elated

11 4.0

Feeling very happy and excited because of good news or success

How Disappointed

sick as a parrot

9.3

crestfallen

5 7.5

disappointed

527 1.0

displeased

7 3.7

Surface Forms

sick as a parrot positive

Morphology

sick + as + a + parrot

Although 'sick' can signal strong negative feeling, the simile 'as a parrot' has no clear literal link to being disappointed, so the overall meaning 'extremely disappointed' cannot be derived from the constituents. The phrasing is an idiomatic, culture-specific simile rather than a compositional description, so a B1 learner who knows the words would likely not predict the idiomatic sense.

Etymology

The idiom sick as a parrot may come from the sight of a pet parrot that suddenly looks sick and very miserable after something goes wrong. That strong, sad picture became a way to say 'extremely disappointed'.