canary seed

American  

noun

1. birdseed.

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canary seed British  

noun

1. another name for birdseed

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Etymology

Origin of canary seed

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

He went shopping for canary seed and Polly, loose in the pet shop, settled on his shoulder and said, 'Pretty boy, I love you so.'

From Time Magazine Archive

The greenfinch is soon attracted by hemp seed, and all the smaller birds by canary seed.

From Wild Nature Won By Kindness by Brightwen, Elizabeth

In some parts of29 this country canary seed might be grown very easily and it would find a large sale if enough of it were produced to meet the demand which would soon grow up.

From Profitable Squab Breeding by Dare, Carl

As Biddy often declared, "it was a great saving of canary seed, to have Miss Natalie about the house."

From Natalie A Gem Among the Sea-Weeds by Vale, Ferna

A female which survived six years in an aviary, laying several eggs, though kept singly, was fed on canary seed, maize, a little sugar, raw beef and carrots.

From Birds, Illustrated by Color Photography, Vol. 1, No. 2 February, 1897 by Various