snowbird

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The Word of the Day for November 30 is: 

snowbird   \SNOH-berd\   noun
          1 : any of several birds (as a junco or fieldfare) seen chiefly in 
winter 
    *2 : one who travels to warm climes for the winter 

Example sentence:
          Now that they are retired, the Crawfords have become snowbirds, 
closing up their New England home each winter and heading south. 

Did you know?
          "Snowbird" has been in use since the late 1600s, but it has only been 
applied to humans since the early 1900s. It was first used to describe men who 
enlisted in the armed forces to get food and clothing during the winter months 
and then deserted as the warm spring weather approached. Not long after, the 
term was applied to the northern laborers who would flock down south to work as 
the cold, harsh winter set in up north. Today, northerners of all kinds, from 
vacationers to retirees, can be seen migrating as soon as the first frost 
arrives.





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