The feathers in the book are of an eagle, the thrush, and the fletching of the Black Arrow — but just as often, metaphors for dwarves, a hobbit, a wizard, goblins, and feet!

Of course we include feather-bed in the list — it is included on its own in tribute to its hyphenated nature. We likes a good hyphen, don’ts we?

And feather is related to the first element pterodactyl, and I can only hope (looking at the Germanic and proto-Germanic forms) that it’s also related to fedora. A word to tip my hat to!

“Feather, N., Etymology.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, September 2026, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1176187454.

• 6.074 their feathers were fanned in a fiery breeze!
• 6.091 and trimmed his feathers
• 14.023 and feather,
• 15.017 may his feathers never fall,
• 18.023 and feathers.
• 19.012 Soft is the grass, and let foot be like feather!