catbird seat
noun
Did you know?
In the catbird seat was among the numerous folksy expressions that legendary baseball broadcaster Red Barber used to delight listeners. Some say he invented the expression; others say that he dug it up from his Southern origins. But the truth may be far stranger than those rumors. In a 1942 short story titled "The Catbird Seat," James Thurber featured a character, Mrs. Barrows, who liked to use the phrase. Another character, Joey Hart, explained that Mrs. Barrows must have picked up the expression from Red Barber. To Red, according to Joey, sitting in the catbird seat meant 'sitting pretty,' like a batter with three balls and no strikes on him. But, according to Barber's daughter, it was only after Barber read Thurber's story that he started using "in the catbird seat" himself.
Synonyms
- advantage
- better
- bulge
- drop
- edge
- high ground
- inside track
- jump
- pull
- stead
- upper hand
- vantage
- whip hand
Example Sentences
John Myers, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2022 Despite the Wings’ catbird seat, the series couldn’t have been closer. Gene Myers, Detroit Free Press, 22 Apr. 2022 The company makes packaging, which should put it in the catbird seat as e-commerce became many people’s go-to during the pandemic. Brett Owens, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2022 Baltimore's loss Sunday vaults Pats into their familiar catbird seat by virtue of a conference record (6-1) that supersedes those of the Ravens and Titans. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 7 Dec. 2021 In that battle, Aldi sits in the catbird seat, renowned for being one of the cheapest grocery stores around, having been named as Grocery Value Leader among U.S. grocery stores for the last ten years by Market Force Information. Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes, 24 June 2021 That’s the call from the catbird seat, where folks are furious about the lack of action on the diamond and at hitters who whiff at record paces. John Shea, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 June 2021 The Falcons now sit in the catbird seat with the No. 4 pick. BostonGlobe.com, 27 Mar. 2021 Publicly the Communist Party acts like this market dominance puts it in the economic catbird seat. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 3 Mar. 2021 See More Word History
1942, in the meaning defined above
catbird seats
noun
Synonyms & Similar Words
- advantages
- edges
- upper hands
- high grounds
- inside tracks
- odds
- opportunities
- whip hands
- jumps
- coigns of vantage
- dominances
- transcendences
- supremacies
- drops
- vantages
- privileges
- starts
- transcendencies
- pulls
- legs up
- head starts
- bulges
- betters
- steads
- superiorities
- ascendancies
- leads
- margins
- predominances
- ascendencies
- seniorities
- allowances
- benefits
- mannas
- prerogatives
- precedences
- preferences
- footholds
- commands
- windfalls
- felicities
- masteries
- godsends
- blessings
- breaks
- boons
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- liabilities
- penalties
- disadvantages
- strikes
- handicaps
- drawbacks
- disabilities
- minuses
- detriments
- imbalances
- shortcomings
- bars
- disparities
- trammels
- stops
- obstacles
- impediments
- checks
- obstructions
- impairments
- shackles
- interferences
- failings
- catches
- lets
- clogs
- strangleholds
- rubs
- hindrances
- hitches
- hurdles
- crimps
- setbacks
- embarrassments
- inequalities
- manacles
- lurches
Synonyms & Similar Words
- top billings
- center stages
- spotlights
- limelights
- attentions
- front burners
- heeds
- notices
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- back burners