canary seed
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of canary seed
First recorded in 1590–1600
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He went shopping for canary seed and Polly, loose in the pet shop, settled on his shoulder and said, 'Pretty boy, I love you so.'
From Time Magazine Archive
Leo gave them some canary seed, of which he carried a supply in his pocket, in order to induce the pets to exhibit themselves when desired.
From Make or Break or, The Rich Man's Daughter by Optic, Oliver
Leo swept out the canary seed from the grand parade, so that the little actors should have nothing to distract their attention.
From Make or Break or, The Rich Man's Daughter by Optic, Oliver
He is a most expert catcher, not only seizing without fail a canary seed thrown to him, but even fluttering bits of falling paper, the hardest of all things to catch.
From In Nesting Time by Miller, Olive Thorne
Wheat or Canary Seed.—Wheat or canary seed can be sown in any kind of dish, the bottom of which is covered with wet moss.
From What Shall We Do Now?: Five Hundred Games and Pastimes by Fisher, Dorothy Canfield
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
