[PW] Jaybird

[Rick Hart]

The _Dictionary of American Regional English_ (Belknap Press, 1996)
cites:
1922 Gonzales, _Black Border_ GA coasts [Gullah], "I gwi' strip nakit ez
a jaybu'd befo' 'e fedduh' grow" 
which argues that, at least in that area, the previous suggested answer
about the featherless young might be correct.
On the other hand, there are several earlier quotes about jaybirds along
the lines of "sassy", "proud", or bold, so the metaphorical naked may
contribute also....

Rick Hart
Head of Reference
Forbes Library
20 West Street                          413-587-1012
Northampton, MA  01060      fax  413-587-1015

> Date: Sun, 4 May 2008 13:50:42 EDT
> From: Wordmall at aol.com
> Subject: [PW] naked as a jaybird
> To: list at project-wombat.org
> Message-ID: <bc3.2708880a.354f5172 at aol.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
> 
> 
> I'm frustrated in my attempts to tie this one down. Evan Morris (The
Word
> Detective) and Christine Ammer (Cool Cats, Top Dogs, and Other Beastly
> Expressions) are two wordsmiths who at least tried to formulate an
answer,
> but they give
> nothing definitive. I have also learned that it's "naked as a robin"
in
> Britain.
> 
> So the essence of my question is, why a jaybird?