Noun

(en noun)

A traitor or hypocrite, such as a co-worker or friend assumed trustworthy but who figuratively attacks when one's back is turned.

Noun

(canaries)

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

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

A light, slightly greenish, yellow colour.

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

* 1599 , , III. ii. 80:

I will to my honest knight / Falstaff, and drink canary with him.

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

* 1598 , , II. i. 74:

and make you dance canary / With sprightly fire and motion;

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

(informal) A female singer, soprano, a coloratura singer.

(slang) An informer or snitch; a squealer.

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

(Australia, informal) A yellow sticker of unroadworthiness.

* {{quote-newsgroup

, title=Warning About Speed Traps , group=alt.folklore.urban , author=Jacco Zwetsloot , date=September 12 , year=1993 , passage=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 for anything wrong with it, to slap a canary on it (that's slang for an unroadworthy sticker) or present you with some other fine. citation

* {{quote-newsgroup

, title=Noisy Bikes (Update) , group=aus.motorcycles , author=Garry Lawson , date=January 16 , year=1999 , passage=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. citation

* {{quote-newsgroup

, title=Spare tyres , group=aus.cars , author=Noddy , date=February 14 , year=2003 , passage=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 not and you get pinched, expect a canary ... citation