magpie
B2Neutral (Informal when used to describe a person)
Definition
Meaning
A medium to large, noisy bird of the crow family with a long tail and striking black and white (or sometimes black and grey) plumage.
A person who collects or hoards small, often shiny, objects indiscriminately; a chatterer; in various sports (especially Australian Rules football), a nickname for a team wearing black and white stripes.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The noun primarily refers to the bird. When used figuratively for a person, it connotes acquisitiveness (like a collector) and/or chattiness. The bird is often associated with folklore and superstition.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The primary referent (the bird) is the same. The Australian Rules football team connotation is specific to Australian English. No significant spelling or usage divide between UK and US English for the core meaning.
Connotations
In both varieties, a 'magpie' person is one who collects random things. The bird is commonly seen as clever, curious, and noisy.
Frequency
Slightly more common in UK English due to the bird's prominence in the landscape and culture, but well-known in the US.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
a magpie [verb: collects, steals, chatters]to be a magpie for [noun: trinkets, gossip, shiny things][noun: child, collector] is a real magpieVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “One for sorrow, two for joy (from magpie counting rhyme)”
- “Chatter like a magpie”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used metaphorically in marketing: 'The product appeals to the magpie in all of us, drawn to shiny new features.'
Academic
Rare. May appear in ornithology, cultural studies, or literature discussing symbolism (e.g., thievery, omens).
Everyday
Common for describing the bird or a person who collects odds and ends: 'My toddler's a magpie—she picks up every bit of foil she sees.'
Technical
Specific to ornithology: 'Pica pica, the Eurasian magpie, demonstrates remarkable cognitive abilities.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- She tends to magpie interesting quotes from every book she reads.
- The design magpies elements from several different architectural styles.
American English
- He magpied a bunch of free samples from the convention floor.
- The film magpies its plot from classic heist movies.
adjective
British English
- He has a magpie-like tendency to pick up random facts.
- The room was a magpie assortment of souvenirs.
American English
- Her magpie mind is always attracted to flashy headlines.
- It was a magpie collection of vintage toys.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I saw a black and white magpie in the garden.
- The magpie is a noisy bird.
- According to the old rhyme, one magpie brings sorrow.
- My little brother collects coins like a magpie.
- The journalist was accused of magpieing ideas from lesser-known writers.
- The festival had a magpie aesthetic, blending traditions from a dozen cultures.
- Her magpie intellect, while broad, sometimes lacked depth, as she flitted from one interest to another.
- The composer's latest work is a magpie composition, ingeniously plagiarising motifs from the Baroque period.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
MAGPIE: My Aunt Gathered Pretty Interesting Everything. This reminds you that a magpie (bird or person) collects things.
Conceptual Metaphor
ACQUISITIVENESS / CHATTER IS MAGPIE BEHAVIOUR (e.g., 'She magpied all the best ideas from the meeting').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Не переводить как 'сорока' автоматически в переносном смысле. Русское 'сорока' (болтунья) совпадает по коннотации 'chatterbox', но значение 'collector of shiny things' для 'magpie' в английском сильнее.
- В русском 'сорока' часто просто птица, без сильной ассоциации с воровством/коллекционированием, которая есть в английском 'magpie'.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing 'magpie' with 'magnie' or 'magpy' (spelling).
- Using 'magpie' as a verb without context ('He magpied it' is informal/metaphorical).
Practice
Quiz
In Australian English, 'Magpie' most commonly has an additional meaning related to:
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, informally. 'To magpie' means to collect or acquire (something) in a way reminiscent of the bird, often by picking up scattered items or borrowing/stealing ideas.
From the name 'Mag' (a diminutive of Margaret, used in old English for a chatterer) + 'pie', the older name for the bird, from Old French 'pie', from Latin 'pica'.
Magpies are naturally curious and are known to pick up and carry off small, bright objects like jewellery or foil, which they sometimes incorporate into their nests. This observed behaviour led to the folk belief that they steal trinkets.
Yes. While both are corvids (family Corvidae), magpies are generally smaller, have much longer tails, and often have striking patches of white (or blue/green iridescence), whereas crows are typically all black. Their behaviour and intelligence are similar.
Explore