2007-07-30 21:14:18 · 17 answers · asked by fecknut 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
The original saying is "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" the meaning being it is better to have something small but real then to search for something larger which you may not get.
2007-07-30 21:20:57 · answer #1 · answered by wanderjahre 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
It has its origins in the days of game hunting, where the Lord of the Manor would take guests out for a shooting trip.
Very often, the target sepcies was to be found on moorland, mostly covered in bracken, heather and other bushes.
Beaters would flush out the birds, and the guns would have a go at them. Dogs were usually employed to retrieve the shot birds (hence the breed "retriever").
These retrieved birds were a certainty, whereas those yet to be flushed were not!
Hence, any number of birds brought back by the dogs were infinitely more valuable than those which had yet to be shot and caught.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush - it's better to have something than to be chasing it without the prospect of catching it.
2007-07-31 05:35:42 · answer #2 · answered by Modern Major General 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dear Fecknut,
Maybe a good saying has several meanings. I always thought it meant, when counting birds it's better to count on the ones you have than ones you might have or maybe secure the one you have before you go after two you may get and lose the one you have. Like the fox with food in his mouth. When he saw his reflection in the river he thought it was another fox with food and opened his mouth to grab the food from the reflection and dropped what he had into the current. The grass always seems greener in the other pasture because your looking at it from the side. So it could mean or blend into the idea that being thankful for what we have makes us happier than fretting about what we don't have. I like the illustration of one son getting praise for being number two in his class and another one beating himself up because he was not number one. A fine leason, but it doesn't mean anything unless fully accepted and we picture ourselves as one son and then the other and choose the first son. I have been a complainer all my life becuase of the injustices in the world, but it only suffered to make the life of everyone I came in contact with a little worse, worsening the whole world. That is what we do and the world gets a little worse each time. I guess that other saying makes sense then, that we need to get wisedom with all out getting of knowledge or sound the message down into our hearts. I found a free newsletter that I found lesson three real good for me you might like it.
Love,
hbar12
2007-07-31 05:27:12 · answer #3 · answered by hb12 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Originally, it was - "A bird in hand is worth two in the bush". No, it is - "A bird in hand is worth millions in the bush"
Answer - The job you have at hand now which is bringing in money for you is far better than the job you envisage on one useless paper
2007-08-03 06:58:38 · answer #4 · answered by Beautiful Mary 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, means that if you have one bird (valuable asset) in your grasp with which to feed yourself, ready and available for you to use, don't go wishing for the better prize of the two birds in the bush.
The gamble is too great, why lose what you have for something you may never get?
2007-07-31 04:27:01 · answer #5 · answered by Laura 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
It means that you have something solid in your hands, it may not be as much as there is out there, but you have it. The 2 in the bush still need to be caught, and there is a possibility that that wont happen.
2007-07-31 06:07:07 · answer #6 · answered by natasha * 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It's from our hunting days.
A bird in the hand means you dinner is guaranteed.
A bird in the bush, you still have to catch. So it's only a possible dinner.
It's sort of like saying one 'Yes' is worth two 'maybes'
2007-07-31 04:27:11 · answer #7 · answered by Phoenix Quill 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Same as the Aesop fable.
Remember the dog with a piece of meat, he looks into a lake and sees a dog with a piece of meat. Thinking that the mirror image is larger he releases the one he has to grad the other, loosing everything.
Better to keep what you have than loose it by chasing pipe dreams.
2007-08-03 13:30:48 · answer #8 · answered by Jadore 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A certainty of possessing a single bird "in your hand" is better than the possibility of possessing two birds that are as yet uncaptured.
2007-07-31 04:27:41 · answer #9 · answered by artaxerxes-solon 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
a trained, tamed bird is better than 2 wild ones in the bush that won't come near you.
2007-07-31 04:17:09 · answer #10 · answered by rose_merrick 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋