The phrase, "showing the white feather/* is derived from the cockpit. It arose, says one authority, from the belief of certain patrons of the cock-pit that birds having a white feather in their wings were apt to show cowardice in fight. Many such phrases are incorporated in the English language from the same source, such os "to turn tail/* ’to eland steel/* "cock of the wmlk,” "to cie game**—to enlist none other of the fifty or sixty such words and phrases that i*ear witness to the widespread popularity this most ancient pastime. j
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 12022, 27 December 1924, Page 3
Word Count
93Untitled New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 12022, 27 December 1924, Page 3
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