jail-bird
Definition
- Noun:
- A person who is frequently in prison: "jail-bird" refers to a person who has been imprisoned many times or is considered a habitual criminal. It often carries a derogatory or informal tone.
Usage Examples
- (A person repeatedly sent to prison.)
- (A habitual criminal.)
Advanced Usage
- "jail-bird" as a slang term: Used informally to describe someone who is currently or has recently been in prison, often implying a criminal lifestyle.
- He looked like a typical jail-bird with his shaved head and tattoos. (A person with a stereotypical prison appearance.)
Variants and Related Words
Jail (n): a place for the confinement of people accused or convicted of a crime.
- He was sent to jail for theft. (A prison.)
Bird (n): a warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrate; in slang, can refer to a person (e.g., "a strange bird").
- She's a rare bird in this town. (An unusual person.)
Synonyms
- Convict: a person found guilty of a crime and serving a prison sentence.
- Prisoner: a person legally confined in a prison as a punishment.
- Recidivist: a person who repeatedly commits crimes and returns to prison.
Related Idioms
"Jailbird" is not commonly used in idioms itself, but the concept appears in phrases like:
- "Doing time": serving a prison sentence.
- He's doing time for robbery. (He is in prison.)
"Behind bars": in prison.
- The thief is now behind bars. (Imprisoned.)
Phrasal Verbs
Lock up: to put someone in prison.
- The police locked up the jail-bird after his arrest. (Imprisoned.)
Let out: to release someone from prison.
- The jail-bird was let out on parole. (Released conditionally.)