• FooBarrington@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Again, “happy as a clam” is very informal. “Free as a bird” is much less so, so it makes sense it pops up more often in literature.

    • Capt. Wolf@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      It’s also been used much longer. First known use of “happy as as a clam” was 1833 versus “free as a bird” being used in the 17th century.