canary seed

American  

noun

1. birdseed.

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canary seed British  

noun

1. another name for birdseed

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Etymology

Origin of canary seed

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

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

A female which survived six years in an aviary, laying several eggs, though kept singly, was fed on canary seed, maize, a little sugar, raw beef and carrots.

From Birds, Illustrated by Color Photography, Vol. 1, No. 2 February, 1897 by Various

Wheat and maize are exported to the Aegean islands and to Turkish ports on the mainland; barley, oats and linseed to Great Britain; canary seed chiefly to Australia; beans to France and Spain.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 4 "G" to "Gaskell, Elizabeth" by Various

The greenfinch is soon attracted by hemp seed, and all the smaller birds by canary seed.

From Wild Nature Won By Kindness by Brightwen, Elizabeth

Leo put a little canary seed in the grand parade of each house, and this was quite enough to rouse them from their slumbers, and induce them to exhibit themselves to the astonished visitor.

From Make or Break or, The Rich Man's Daughter by Optic, Oliver