Definition

1. Noun:
   • A medium-sized game bird: A partridge is a bird belonging to several genera, often with a plump body, short tail, and brownish-grey plumage, valued for hunting and its meat.
   • The flesh of this bird used as food: "Partridge" can also refer to the meat of this bird, considered a delicacy.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Bird):
  • We heard a partridge call from the underbrush.
  • The hunters went out early to look for partridge.
• Noun (Meat):
  • For dinner, we had roast partridge with herbs.

Advanced Usage

• "Partridge in a pear tree": A famous phrase from the traditional Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas."
  • The first gift in the song is "a partridge in a pear tree."

Variants and Related Words

• Grey Partridge (): A common species native to Europe and Asia.
• Red-legged Partridge (): A species introduced to Britain and other parts of Europe.
• Chukar (): A partridge species native to Asia, often called the chukar partridge.

Synonyms

• Game bird: A bird hunted for sport or food.
• Perdix: The genus name for true partridges like the grey partridge.

Related Phrases

• To be as plump as a partridge: An idiom describing someone who is very plump or well-fed.
  • After the holidays, he was as plump as a partridge.

Noun

1. valued as a game bird in eastern United States and Canada
2. a popular North American game bird; named for its call
3. small Old World gallinaceous game birds
4. heavy-bodied small-winged South American game bird resembling a gallinaceous bird but related to the ratite birds
5. flesh of either quail or grouse