Background for canaries

canaries

/kəˈnɛəriz/ /kəˈnɛriz/

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noun

A small, usually yellow, finch (genus Serinus), a songbird native to the Canary Islands.

Examples :

"The pet store had a cage full of bright yellow canaries singing sweetly. "

animal bird nature

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noun

Any of various small birds of different countries, most of which are largely yellow in colour.

Examples :

"The children enjoyed watching the canaries flitting around their cages at school. "

animal bird color nature biology

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noun

A light, slightly greenish, yellow colour.

Examples :

"Her new sweater was the colour of canaries. "

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noun

A light, sweet, white wine from the Canary Islands.

Examples :

"My aunt brought a bottle of canaries to share with us at the family gathering. "

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noun

A lively dance, possibly of Spanish origin (also called canaries).

Examples :

"The school's dance troupe performed a lively canaries, showcasing energetic movements. "

music dance entertainment

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noun

Any test subject, especially an inadvertent or unwilling one. (From the mining practice of using canaries to detect dangerous gases.)

Examples :

"The students were the canaries in the classroom, unwittingly showing signs of stress from the new, confusing grading system. "

animal job industry environment science technical

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noun

A value placed in memory such that it will be the first data corrupted by a buffer overflow, allowing the program to identify and recover from it.

Examples :

"The programmer added canaries to the student record system so that if someone tried to enter too much information in the "club activities" field, the system would detect the overflow and prevent other student data from being damaged. "

computing technology

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noun

A female singer, soprano, a coloratura singer.

Examples :

"The opera house hired several canaries this year, hoping to showcase the impressive range of their voices. "

music person job

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noun

An informer or snitch; a squealer.

Examples :

"The gang members knew they had a "canaries" in their midst because someone was telling the police about their plans. "

person police law word character job communication

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noun

A (usually yellow) capsule of the short-acting barbiturate pentobarbital/pentobarbitone (Nembutal).

Examples :

"Because her anxiety was so severe, the doctor prescribed her small, yellow capsules; she called them her "canaries" to help her remember to take them. "

medicine substance

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noun

A yellow sticker of unroadworthiness.

Examples :

"The mechanic put canaries on all the delivery trucks that failed the safety inspection. "

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verb

To dance nimbly (as in the canary dance)

Examples :

"The children canaried across the stage during the school play, their light steps and bright costumes charming the audience. "

dance entertainment

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verb

To inform or snitch, to betray secrets, especially about illegal activities.

Examples :

"Maria refused to canary on her friends, even when the principal pressured her to reveal who started the food fight. "

police communication job organization action moral society state law