ostrich

/'ɔstritʃ/

Thân thiện

An ostrich runs across the dry savanna.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A large, flightless bird native to Africa: The ostrich is characterized by its long neck and legs, two-toed feet, and is the largest living species of bird. It is known for its fast running speed.
   • A person who avoids or refuses to accept unpleasant realities: This figurative meaning stems from the popular but inaccurate belief that ostriches bury their heads in the sand to avoid danger.

Usage and Examples

• Noun (Animal):
  • The ostrich can run at speeds of over 70 kilometers per hour.
  • We saw a herd of ostriches on the African savanna.
• Noun (Figurative: Person):
  • He's such an ostrich about his health; he refuses to see a doctor.
  • Politicians can't be ostriches about climate change.

Advanced Usage

• "To play/bury one's head in the sand like an ostrich": To deliberately ignore an obvious problem or unpleasant situation.
  • You can't just bury your head in the sand like an ostrich and hope the financial issues go away.

Variants and Related Words

• Ostrich-like (adj): Behaving like an ostrich in the figurative sense; characterized by avoidance.
  • His ostrich-like attitude towards the evidence is frustrating.

Synonyms

• For the bird: (None – it is a specific animal name).
• For the person: avoider, denier, ignorer.

Related Idioms

• "To have the digestion of an ostrich": To have a very strong stomach or the ability to eat almost anything without ill effect.
  • After eating that entire pizza by himself, we joked he must have the digestion of an ostrich.

Học thuật

Noun

1. fast-running African flightless bird with two-toed feet; largest living bird
2. a person who refuses to face reality or recognize the truth (a reference to the popular notion that the ostrich hides from danger by burying its head in the sand)

Từ đồng nghĩa

• struthio camelus