Whiteisms
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Etymology Journal ยท N

Naked as a jaybird

Meaning

Completely, entirely, and unambiguously nude. It refers to the state of having no clothes on at all, usually said with a bit of humor.

Humorous, folksy

Used in a sentence

  • The baby ran around the yard naked as a jaybird for an hour.
  • I opened the door and there he was, standing there naked as a jaybird.
  • She decided to go skinny dipping, naked as a jaybird.

The backstory

Blue jays are not actually naked, but they appear to have smooth, small feathers that can look skin-like to a casual observer. The phrase has been used in American English since the mid-19th century.

Heard in

The South, rural America

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