canary
3
9.9
- noun
- /kəˈnɛri/
- Archaic
:
soplón
- Oh, if we get arrested I'm gonna sing like a canary.
Examples
-
All I want to know is: is he D and D or is he a canary?
-
You're not paid to be a canary.
-
But he was a canary, and he never knew it.
Fiction book (1998) -
"Think of him," he told Mr. Vandemar, "as a canary."
Fiction book (1998) -
We women are the proverbial canaries in the mine on every single issue afflicting the world today.
Academic text (2007) -
Biologists are calling them the canary in the global coal mine, and though the phrase has been worn to death, it's worth considering anew.
Academic text (2007) -
Darden is the canary in the mine, a sign of things to come, for across the country, the privatization of public higher education proceeds apace.
Academic text (2002) -
Mr. Vandemar nodded, comprehension dawning slowly: yes, a canary.
Fiction book (1998) -
"Endangered" or "threatened" species, listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), have been likened to the proverbial "canary in the coal mine."
Academic text (2000) -
He acted as a canary for the police, providing them with crucial information about the gang.
Synonyms
165
5.6
A person who secretly gives information to police, journalists, or researchers
83
7.5
A person who secretly tells the police about someone else's bad actions
53
5.8
A person who tricks others into a trap or danger
18
9.2
A person who gives information about others to the police, betraying them
3
9.9
A person who secretly gives information to the police, often from inside a group
3
8.9
A person who secretly gives information to the police
1
8.7
A person who secretly tells the police about other people's crimes
A person who secretly tells the police about criminals
Idioms
To smile in a proud, secret way because you feel pleased with yourself
- Informal
A person who looks very pleased because they have a secret success
Compounds
1
3.0
A group of Spanish volcanic islands in the Atlantic Ocean near northwest Africa
A fern from the Canary Islands and Madeira with soft, hairy underground stems like a hare's foot
A tall North American tree with tulip-shaped yellow flowers and soft white wood used for cabinets
A tall grass that lives for many years and grows in wet places like riverbanks and ditches
- Specialized
A perennial grass from Australia and South Africa grown for animal feed
Surface Forms
Etymology
The slang canary for an informer comes from the idea of a bird 'singing' secrets; if someone 'sings' to the police they give information, so they are called a canary. This helps you remember that a 'canary' in this sense is someone who tells on others.