rare bird
1
7.7
- noun
- Informal
:
rara avis
- His unique perspective as an environmentalist makes him a rare bird in the corporate world.
Examples
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As a female engineer, she felt like a rare bird in a field dominated by men.
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Well, there are only two specimens of this rare bird known to man.
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So if we are talking about rare birds, a non-French person would be a good start, but a non-European would be better.
Blog text (1) -
She was elected because there were still some semi-conservative Dems then, and some Republicans who thought she was one of those rare birds, an even-handed, honest Democrat.
Blog text (1) -
Day-Lewis is that rare bird that doesn't know how to give a bad performance, even in a mediocre film (THERE WILL BE BLOOD is far from a mediocre film).
Blog text (4) -
In a sea of ordinary talents, her extraordinary creativity made her a rare bird among her peers.
Synonyms
31
6.2
Something that is not common and happens only sometimes
8
6.1
A person who is clearly different from others and does not fit in
1
9.9
An unusual person or thing not often seen
A person who acts in an odd or unusual way
A person who behaves in a strange or unusual way
Antonyms
How Unusual
3
3.5
- Informal
1
7.7
- Offensive
21
7.2
1
6.0
- Informal
8
6.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
rare + bird
The sense 'an unusual or uncommon person' is directly derivable from combining 'rare' (uncommon) with 'bird' (a creature), since the phrase simply applies a literal property to a person via a common metaphor. This compositional pattern is straightforward and similar metaphors exist in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent words should be able to infer the meaning without prior exposure.
Etymology
Rare bird comes from watching birds: a rare bird is one people almost never see, so it becomes a strong image of something unusual. So calling someone a rare bird means they are 'unusual' or 'uncommon'.