Canary
[kə'neərɪ] or [kə'nɛri]
Definition
(noun.) any of several small Old World finches.
(noun.) a female singer.
(adj.) having the color of a canary; of a light to moderate yellow .
Checker: Truman--From WordNet
Definition
(a.) Of or pertaining to the Canary Islands; as, canary wine; canary birds.
(a.) Of a pale yellowish color; as, Canary stone.
(n.) Wine made in the Canary Islands; sack.
(n.) A canary bird.
(n.) A pale yellow color, like that of a canary bird.
(n.) A quick and lively dance.
(v. i.) To perform the canary dance; to move nimbly; to caper.
Editor: Warren
Definition
n. a light sweet wine from the Canary Islands: a bird originally from the Canary Islands: a lively dance.—adj. canary-coloured bright yellow.—ns. Canā′ry-bird a canary: (slang) a jail-bird: a mistress; Canā′ry-grass a grass of which the seed is much used as food for canary-birds; Canā′ry-wood the dark-coloured timber of two lauraceous trees of the Azores and Madeira.
Editor: Stanton
Unserious Contents or Definition
To dream of this sweet songster, denotes unexpected pleasures. For the young to dream of possessing a beautiful canary, denotes high class honors and a successful passage through the literary world, or a happy termination of love's young dream. To dream one is given you, indicates a welcome legacy. To give away a canary, denotes that you will suffer disappointment in your dearest wishes. To dream that one dies, denotes the unfaithfulness of dear friends. Advancing, fluttering, and singing canaries, in luxurious apartments, denotes feasting and a life of exquisite refinement, wealth, and satisfying friendships. If the light is weird or unnaturally bright, it augurs that you are entertaining illusive hopes. Your over-confidence is your worst enemy. A young woman after this dream should beware, lest flattering promises react upon her in disappointment. Fairy-like scenes in a dream are peculiarly misleading and treacherous to women.
Typed by Alphonse
Examples
- Some of these he has left on the Continent, but he has brought with him to this house a cockatoo, two canary-birds, and a whole family of white mice. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- In the breakfast-room I found my aunt's favourite canary singing in his cage. Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- There sat the canary in a corner, bunched and fluffed up for sleep. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- Everybody talked, not very loudly, but merrily, and the canary birds sang shrill in their high-hung cages. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- Miss Lavinia and Miss Clarissa have given their consent; and if ever canary birds were in a flutter, they are. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- Wilfer, modestly dropping his voice on the word, as he eyed the canary-coloured fittings. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- The canary is revived by oxygen and the crew puts on safety helmets before proceeding. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- From these Mr Venus rescues the canary in a glass case, and shows it to the boy. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- Mr Venus, always in exceedingly low spirits and making whimpering sounds, peers about for the stuffed canary. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- A canary's cage was hanging in the window, and its aim seems to have been to get at the bird. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
- Doll I work for, lost a canary-bird. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- They put out to sea to the west and found the Canary Isles, Madeira, and the Azores. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Everything on the table was in silver too, and two footmen, with red hair and canary-coloured liveries, stood on either side of the sideboard. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- I have no more of what they call character, my dear, than a canary-bird, but I know I am trustworthy. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- At this moment the greasy door is violently pushed inward, and a boy follows it, who says, after having let it slam: 'Come for the stuffed canary. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- They were not unlike birds, altogether; having a sharp, brisk, sudden manner, and a little short, spruce way of adjusting themselves, like canaries. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- The Count was exercising his canaries as he used to exercise them in Marian's time at Blackwater Park. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- They are almost as tame as the canaries, and they are perpetually let out like the canaries. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- My cockatoo, my canaries, and my little mice--who will cherish them when their good Papa is gone? Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- I will offer my canaries and my cockatoo to this vast Metropolis--my agent shall present them in my name to the Zoological Gardens of London. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- The canaries and the cockatoo were probably in some other room. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- Canaries of unrivalled vivacity and intelligence: worthy of the garden of Eden, worthy also of the garden in the Regent's Park. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
Typed by Bert