miner's canary
The term "miner's canary" originates from the practice of using canaries in coal mines to detect toxic gases. It is now also used metaphorically to indicate early warnings of danger.
🇺🇸 US Voice:
🇬🇧 UK Voice:
Definition
B2Mining
(historical, technical)A small bird, particularly a canary, used in coal mines to detect toxic gases, as its sensitivity would signal danger before humans were affected.
Example
- Miners would carry a canary in a cage to warn them of the presence of dangerous gases.
C1General
(idiomatic, metaphorical)An entity whose distress or demise serves as an early warning of a potential threat or problem.
Example
- Environmentalists often refer to declining bee populations as a miner's canary for ecological health.
- The financial struggles of small businesses can be seen as a miner's canary for the overall economy.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "miner's canary":