tapirage
n.— «Macaws and other parrots supplied most of the plumage, but that of other species—Muscovy ducks, flamingos, egrets and the petite paradise tanager—was also prized. Some colors were produced artificially in a process known as tapirage. Birds with, say, green and blue feathers were plucked and then rubbed with frog secretions; the feathers would then grow back in an unnatural yellow-orange hue.» —“Objects From a Long-Vanished Peru, Parading All Their Magnificent Plumage” by Karen Rosenberg New York Times July 5, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
We’ve previously discussed when pigs fly and other idioms expressing profound skepticism that something will occur. That prompted an email from Guillermo in Tucson, Arizona, who shared a Spanish phrase that conveys a similar idea: cuando la...
Residents of Martha’s Vineyard look forward each year to the arrival of pinkletinks, little frogs that herald the arrival of spring. Elsewhere, they’re called spring peepers, tinkletoes, and pink-winks. This is part of a complete episode...