cat that ate the canary
A person who appears self-satisfied or smug, especially while concealing something mischievous, prohibited, or private.
He talked freely and carried the smile of the cat that swallowed the canary.
canary
/kəˈnɛəɹi/
noun 6verb 3adj 2
Collocations
5ADJ.
beautiful, callable, known, small, unique, used, yellow
VERB + CANARY
ate, buy, cage, end
CANARY + NOUN
coal, coupon, islands, mastiff
PREP.
from, in, in, on, out, with
ADV.
also
Definitions
noun
1
A small, usually yellow, finch (genus Serinus), a songbird native to the Canary Islands.
2
Any of various small birds of different countries, most of which are largely yellow in colour.
3
A female singer, soprano, a coloratura singer.
4
An informer or snitch; a squealer.
5
A light, slightly greenish, yellow colour.
adj
1
Of a light yellow colour.
verb
1
To dance nimbly (as in the canary dance).
but to jig off a tune at / the tongue's end, canary to it with your feet,
2
To inform or snitch, to betray secrets, especially about illegal activities.
3
To test a software change by rolling out to a small set of machines or users before making it available to all.
Thesaurus
Idioms & Phrases
canary in a coal mine
Something whose sensitivity to adverse conditions makes it a useful early indicator of such conditions; something which warns of the coming of a greater danger or trouble by a deterioration in its health or welfare.
"A mussel is a canary in a coal mine," Clemens explained. "When the freshwater mussels are healthy, it indicates good water quality."
miners' canary
A caged bird kept caged in mines because its demise provided a warning of dangerous levels of toxic gases.
canary fit
A highly emotional state of distress, anger, etc.
The thousand odd officers and men on parade nearly threw a canary fit.
Example Bank
601
The tendency in these types of situations (as far as I can see) is that because I don't think the act itself is illegal, the police will go through your vehicle systematically loking^([sic]) for anyth
Wiktionary02
Yes, if the exhaust is to noisey^([sic]) they can slap a yellow canary on it, but the[n] who cares you got rid of it.
Wiktionary03
You don't have to carry a spare wheel for a car to be roadworthy, and if you *do* carry one, it doesn't have to be in a roadworthy condition *unless* you fit it [to] the car and drive on it. / If it's
Wiktionary04
but to jig off a tune at / the tongue's end, canary to it with your feet,
Wiktionary05
Canary callable bonds are a type of step-up bond that is a hybrid structure, having elements of both Bermudan and European calls.
Wiktionary06
The canary bond is unique in that it is callable during the period before the security converts to a noncallable or bullet structure; the canary callable coupon can possess a step-up feature.
WiktionaryUsage Notes
i Register
In some senses, canary is marked as informal, slang. Watch for register when choosing this word.
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