Definition of "pheasant" [pheas•ant]

• Any of various Old World birds of the family Phasianidae, especially the ring-necked pheasant introduced in North America, characteristically having long tails and, in the males of many species, brilliantly colored plumage. (noun)
• Any of several other birds that resemble the pheasant, such as the partridge. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "However, if the pheasant is within 25 yards and is in the middle of the pattern, even #8's can be effective."
• "I had to pay something over three solid sovereigns for them, as in those days such things were dear, which showed me that I was not going to get my lesson in English pheasant shooting for nothing."
• "Making a play on the word pheasant doesn't make you Oscar Bloody Wilde."