broken wing
Flight rendered impossible
A broken wing is literally a wing that has been fractured or damaged, preventing flight.
The phrase appears frequently in figurative contexts—someone with a broken wing is wounded, vulnerable, or unable to function fully: She took in strays and broken wings.
A person who rescues troubled partners may have broken wing syndrome.
In hunting and birding, a bird may fake a broken wing to lure predators away from its nest.
- injuredHaving sustained harm
- birdFeathered flying vertebrate
- featheredCovered with plumage
- fallenHaving dropped down
- flightAerial journey by aircraft
set free · grounded · healing · bird rescue · mend · splint · fragile · helpless · nest · soar · flutter · fractured · delicate · rescue · rehabilitation · bird sanctuary · cage · vulnerable
- wingswingbeat, wingtip, flight feather, pinion, feather
- wildlife mortalitymortality rate, die-off, mass die-off, natural death, natural causes
- bird carecage, birdcage, aviary, perches, nesting boxes
broken wingfree spirit
Uninhibited, unconventional person
broken, wing, break, broke, breaks, breaking, unbroken, breakable, unbreakable