# catbird seat

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/catbird-seat
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

An enviable position, often one of great advantage.

## Examples

- She is in the catbird seat for the promotion.
- With the lowest prices in the market, our company is currently in the catbird seat.
- Since you are the only person who knows how to fix the server, you are in the catbird seat during these salary negotiations.
- By securing the exclusive contract before her competitors, she found herself in the catbird seat, dictating the terms of the entire merger.

## Origin

The expression emerged in the 19th-century southern United States, where it likely referred to the gray catbird, *Dumetella carolinensis*. The term gained broader prominence in 1942 through James Thurber's short story, *The Catbird Seat*, and was subsequently popularised by the baseball commentator Red Barber, who frequently applied the phrase to the sport. James Thurber attributed the origin to the Ptilonorhynchidae, a family of Australian birds. In this account, the male assembles a collection of several hundred coloured rocks or shells to construct a seat. The resulting artistic display serves as a throne for his mate, who is positioned to overlook their surroundings.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.