in fine feather

in fine feather idiom
Also, in good or high feather. In excellent form, health, or humor. For example, He was in fine feather, joking with all his visitors. These expressions all allude to a bird's healthy plumage, a usage dating from the late 1500s and no longer very common.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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