Different context. Different meaning. Horrace didn't say "and if the committee is successful it will put a feather in their nest". He said "feathering their nest". Totally different phrase, context and usage. Context is everything.

You saw what I posted in terms of idiomatic usage. I think if you do any digging at all into the usage and background of the phrase you'll see that it's typically used in the context as described.

There is probably little to be gained by further arguing usage, connotation and context. We disagree. So be it.

(But I'm right, though. )

And isn't it nice that I didn't go into a rant that you're just incapable of understanding something so simple, that you're education must be sorely lacking for your comprehension to be so poor, that your inability to agree with me is directly related to a low level of intelligenge on your part, etc, etc etc. To do so would be childish and ineffective, and I think it's a poor indication of one's character to resort to such.