fine feathers make fine birds
- idiom
:
la apariencia importa
- He bought a new suit for the interview because he knows fine feathers make fine birds.
Examples
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My grandmother always said that fine feathers make fine birds when I dressed up for special occasions.
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In the world of fashion, it's often true that fine feathers make fine birds.
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You know what they say: fine feathers make fine birds!
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When attending the gala, remember that fine feathers make fine birds.
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Dressing well shows that fine feathers make fine birds, especially during important events.
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At the awards ceremony, she wore an elegant gown because fine feathers make fine birds.
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He chose a stylish outfit for the presentation, believing that fine feathers make fine birds.
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
fine + feather + make + fine + bird
The literal idea—that attractive feathers make birds look fine—is directly derivable from the known words, so the phrase’s basic image is transparent. However, the conventional, figurative extension to people being judged by outward appearance (clothes as 'feathers') requires cultural/metaphorical transfer and is not fully predictable for a B1 learner who has not seen the proverb, so comprehension is partial.
Etymology
Fine feathers make fine birds comes from a simple picture: a bird with shiny, tidy fine feathers looks like a healthy, attractive fine bird. So, the proverb means 'people are often judged by their looks' and that good clothes can make someone seem more impressive.