gallows bird
English · Thesaurus
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gallows bird
Where it comes from
From gallows + bird. Compare German construction Galgenvogel (literally “gallows-fowl" or "gallows-bird”), and French gibier de potence, as well as similar English jailbird.
noun gallows birds · gallows-bird · gallowsbird
-
A person who deserves, or is likely, to be hanged.
Everybody along Long Wharf knows you called him a gallows bird. He's not used to it.
Similar: hangdog, wag-halter, crack-hemp, crack-rope, gallows, gallows bird, hang dog, hempie, scapegallows, slip-halter
Translations
Every language
noun person who deserves to be hanged
| Español | carne de patíbulo |
|---|---|
| Français | gibier de potence, pendard |
| Deutsch | Galgenvogel |
| Italiano | pendaglio da forca |
| Русский | ви́сельник víselʹnik |
Talk about this word "gallows bird." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/gallows%20bird. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. gallows bird. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/gallows%20bird "gallows bird." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/gallows%20bird.Cite this
@misc{gallows_bird_2026,
title = {gallows bird},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/gallows%20bird},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
