ORIGINAL: mongo
well bob, i aint the pig, but i read it the same way he did, i think. we will know for sure when he responds. in my view, any advancement, personal, professional,or under the table, is in the nest feathering category.
If that is true, then you don't particularly understand the idiom. It specifically refers to using one's position for personal gain.
Do a google search on "feathering your nest, meaning of".
The first listing....top of the google list........ will tell you, and I quote: "If someone feathers their own nest, they use their position or job for personal gain."
I've never heard the expression used in any other context. Here's the link, put to prove that I didn't have to go hunting to find that particular connotation, try the search yourself.
http://www.usingenglish.com/referenc...+own+nest.html