This Week's Idiom

A Bird In The Hand by Beryl Cook

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" means that it is better to have a small real advantage than only the possibility of a greater one. This idiom refers back to medieval falconry where a bird in the hand - a falcon - was a valuable asset and certainly worth two in a bush - the prey - (or a hundred flying overhead!)

Source:  http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/a-bird-in-the-hand.html