the bird has flown
1
said to mean that a person that one looks for has fled or left
The idiom "the bird has flown" originated from the practice of falconry, where a trained bird of prey, like a falcon, was used to hunt. If the prey managed to escape or fly away before the falcon could catch it, the falconer would say "the bird has flown." This phrase then evolved figuratively to describe situations where a person being sought after has eluded capture or disappeared, conveying the notion that target has escaped.
- The key suspect in the investigation vanished without a trace; so it's safe to say that the bird has flown.
- I had planned to surprise him at the airport, but he took an earlier flight, and by the time I got there, the bird had flown.
- When the detective arrived at the hideout, the suspect was gone, and it was clear the bird had flown.
- The journalist hoped to interview the elusive celebrity, but by the time they got to the event, the bird had flown.