carrier pigeon

noun

1. one of a breed of domestic pigeons having a large wattle around the base of the beak.

2. a homing pigeon trained to carry messages.

carrier pigeon

noun

1. any homing pigeon, esp one used for carrying messages

Word History and Origins

Origin of carrier pigeon¹

First recorded in 1640–50

Example Sentences

Armies still relied on signal lamps and carrier pigeons to deliver messages that could mean the difference between life and death.

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A sort of industrial carrier pigeon, popular long before email and Amazon, pneumatic tubes used to be common in office buildings, hospitals, department stores and such.

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If he continues to bat like this, he is well within his rights to deliver his pre-match message via carrier pigeon.

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Adler spearheaded a number of moves to modernize Reuters, which gained fame in its early days for using carrier pigeons to relay scoops.

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According to Robert Gildea, a professor of modern history at the University of Oxford, England, carrier pigeons were important in World War I “as a rapid and fairly secure means of communication.”

Read more on New York Times