featherbed
C1Formal, Business, Historical
Definition
Meaning
A soft mattress stuffed with feathers.
To treat someone in an overly soft, indulgent, or undemanding way, often by providing excessive comfort or unearned benefits, especially in employment or business contexts.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The noun form is concrete and historical. The verb form is more common today, often pejorative, implying unfair or inefficient coddling.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Both noun and verb forms are used in both varieties. The noun is slightly more common in British English in historical/literary contexts.
Connotations
The verb universally carries a negative connotation of inefficiency and unfair privilege.
Frequency
The verb sense is low-frequency but recognized in legal, economic, and business writing in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[VERB] someone[VERB] employeesaccuse someone/something of featherbeddingVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Feather one's own nest (related concept of gaining unfair advantage)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to restrictive union practices or government subsidies that protect jobs inefficiently. 'The new law aims to end rail union featherbedding.'
Academic
Used in economics and industrial relations literature discussing labour market inefficiencies.
Everyday
Rare. Might be used figuratively: 'Don't featherbed the trainees; they need to learn resilience.'
Technical
A specific term in labour law and industrial policy.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The nationalised industry was accused of featherbedding its workforce.
- Old regulations featherbedded the domestic car manufacturers.
American English
- The contract was criticized for featherbedding union members with unnecessary positions.
- They sued to stop the state from featherbedding the failing corporation.
adjective
British English
- He landed a featherbed job with no real responsibilities.
- The featherbed regulations were finally repealed.
American English
- She was tired of her featherbed assignment and asked for more challenging work.
- The commission investigated featherbed subsidies in the agricultural sector.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- My grandmother's old featherbed was very soft.
- The historic inn advertised rooms with traditional featherbeds.
- Critics argued that the government subsidies would merely featherbed the inefficient state company.
- The union was accused of negotiating featherbedding rules that required more staff than necessary.
- Economists condemned the protectionist policy as an exercise in industrial featherbedding that would stifle innovation.
- The new CEO vowed to eliminate featherbedding practices and create a more performance-oriented culture.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: To put someone on a soft FEATHER BED is to make their life too easy and comfortable.
Conceptual Metaphor
UNFAIR ADVANTAGE IS EXCESSIVE COMFORT / WORK IS A BURDEN (lightened unfairly)
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation. 'Пуховая перина' is only the noun. The verb sense has no direct equivalent; use 'изнеживать', 'оберегать сверх меры', or 'создавать тепличные условия (на работе)'.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing 'featherbed' (verb) with 'feather one's nest' (to enrich oneself). Using it as a positive term (it is negative).
Practice
Quiz
In a business article, 'featherbedding' most likely refers to:
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not inherently, but specific featherbedding practices (like requiring unneeded workers) can be prohibited by labour laws or contracts.
Almost never. It implies excessive and often unfair coddling, especially in a professional or economic context.
It derives from the noun 'featherbed' (a symbol of luxury and ease) and emerged in the early 20th century, particularly in critiques of labour practices.
It's now a historical or literary term. Modern soft mattresses are rarely stuffed with feathers, so 'feather bed' or 'feather mattress' is archaic.