miners' canary

See also: miner's canary

English

Alternative forms

• canary in a coal mine
• miner's canary

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Noun

miners' canary (plural miners' canaries)

1. A caged bird kept caged in mines because its demise provided a warning of dangerous levels of toxic gases.
2. (idiomatic) Any thing, especially an organism, whose demise or distress provides an early warning of danger.

Related terms

• climate canary