| 释义 |
▪ I. canary, n.|kəˈnɛərɪ|
Forms: (6 canara), 6–7 canarie, (7 canari, cannaries, 8 kanary, canario), 7– canary.
[a. F. Canarie, ad. Sp. Canāria, in L. Canāria insula ‘Isle of Dogs’ one of the Fortunate Isles, so called from its large dogs (canāri-us of or pertaining to dogs, f. can-is dog, Pliny), whence Canāriæ insulæ as the name of the group in Arnobius c. 300.]
The name of an island (Gran Canaria) on the west coast of Africa, and of the group Canary Isles or Canaries, to which it belongs. Hence in various uses, originally attrib., but subseq. taken as ns.
1. A lively Spanish dance, the idea of which is said to have been derived from the aborigines of the Canary Islands. In early use generally plural.
1592Nashe P. Penilesse (ed. 2) 18 b, As gingerly as if she were dancing the Canaries. 1601Shakes. All's Well ii. i. 77 A medicine That's able to breath life into a stone..and make you dance Canari. 1606Dekker Sev. Sins iii. (Arb.) 27 They would make all the Hogges-heads that vse to come to the house, to daunce the Cannaries till they reeld againe. 1655Francion vii. 5, I played the Canaries, which almost all the company danced. 1772–84Cook Voy. (1790) II. 413 The canario, first used by the Canarians. 1789Burney Hist. Mus. III. vii. 488 Country-dance and canaries. 1862Athenæum 25 Jan. 111/3 Pécour it was who invented the ‘Canary’, a very lively dance, something like our Sir Roger de Coverley. 1880Grove Dict. Mus. I. 302 Canarie, a now antiquated dance.
attrib.1609Ev. Wom. in Hum. i. i. in Bullen O. Pl. IV, Another as she goes treads a Canarie pace. 1789Burney Hist. Mus. (ed. 2) IV. ii. 89 Sometimes the canary and sometimes the courant step.
†2. = Canary wine, a light sweet wine from the Canary Islands. Formerly also in pl. Obs.
1597Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, ii. iv. 29 I' faith, you have drunk too much canaries. 1601― Twel. N. i. iii. 85 Thou lack'st a cup of Canarie. 1641Brome Jov. Crew iv. i. Wks. 1873 III. 418 Good old Canary, I assure you. 1667Lond. Gaz. No. 126/1 The St. Francis of Bilboa, laden with Canaries, and in her way was robbed..of one Hogshead of Wine. a1711Ken Lett. Wks. (1838) 80 Three bottles of canary for our sick friend. 1848Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 320 To intoxicate large assemblies daily with claret or canary.
3. = canary-bird. Occasionally fig. = songster.
1655Moufet & Benn. Health's Improv. (1746) 189 So also doth the Canary, Finch or Fiskin. 1661Lovell Hist. Anim. & Min. Introd., Birds, which are..the..canarie, sparrow, finch. 1836Penny Cycl. VI. 229 The hen canary will generally lay three or four times in the year. 1862Calverley Verses & Trans. 34 No darkringleted canaries Sing to me of ‘hungry foam’.
4. Short for canary-bird (sense 2) in various slang and other uses (cf. Halliwell); also for canary-grass or -seed.
5. a. Angling. A ‘fly’ of a canary colour.
1867F. Francis Angling x. (1880) 372 The Canary..is more often called the ‘Goldfinch’.
b. A gold coin, so called from its colour. Also transf. slang.
[1785see canary-bird 2.] 1860Hotten Dict. Slang 110 Canary, a sovereign. 1890Pall Mall Gaz. 8 May 6/2 ‘Canaries’, or promissory notes, were returned for considerably over {pstlg}2,000. 1928‘Brent of Bin Bin’ Up Country xiii. 203 The ‘Sweep Stakes’, for which every entrant had to pay a ‘canary’ and the winner scoop the pool.
c. A convict. Austral. slang.
1827P. Cunningham N.S. Wales II. 117 Convicts of but recent migration are facetiously known by the name of canaries, by reason of the yellow plumage in which they are fledged at the period of landing. 1890‘R. Boldrewood’ Col. Reformer vi. 49 Can't you get your canaries off the track here for about a quarter of an hour and let my mob of cattle pass?
¶6. A humorous blunder for quandary (put into the mouth of Mrs. Quickly).
1598Shakes. Merry W. ii. ii. 61 You haue brought her into such a Canaries, as 'tis wonderfull: the best Courtier of them all could neuer haue brought her to such a Canarie.
7. attrib. and Comb., as canary-coloured, canary-sucking (sense 2), canary-yellow adjs.; canary banana, the dwarf banana, Musa nana; canary-creeper, ‘a garden name for Tropæolum aduncum, (wrongly called T. canariense); canary-finch = canary-bird; canary-grass, the grass (Phalaris canariensis) which yields canary-seed; reed canary-grass = canary-reed; canary pudding, a lemon-flavoured sponge pudding; canary-reed, a British grass, Phalaris (Digraphis) arundinacea; † canary-sack = canary 2; canary-seed, the seed of Phalaris canariensis, used as food for canaries; also the plant itself; canary-stone, a ‘beautiful yellow species of carnelian’ (Simmonds Dict. Trade); † canary-wine = canary 2; canary-wood, the light orange-coloured wood of Persea indica and P. canariensis, obtained from Brazil.
1951New Biol. XI. 67 The dwarf or *Canary banana (formerly M. Cavendishii) which flourishes in Mediterranean lands is also widespread in the Far East, and hence the synonym M. Chinensis.
1813Bingley Anim. Biog. II. 174 The *Canary-finch. 1836Penny Cycl. VI. 228 Canary bird, or Canary finch.
1668Wilkins Real Char. ii. iv. §3. 73 *Canary Grass. 1711I. Petiver in Phil. Trans. XXVII. 380 It's call'd Canary grass, because brought from thence, and is the common Food of those Birds. 1884Jefferies in Chamb. Jrnl. 1 Mar. 130/2 The reeds and reed canary-grass come up.
1861Mrs. Beeton Bk. Househ. Managem. 636 *Canary pudding..The weight of 3 eggs in sugar and butter, the weight of 2 eggs in flour, the rind of 1 small lemon, 3 eggs. 1951Good Housek. Home Encycl. 382/2 Many different sponge puddings can be made, using the canary pudding mixture as a basis.
1884Miller Plant-n. 229 *Canary Reed.
1632Massinger City Mad. iv. i, All the conduits Spouting *canary-sack.
1597Gerard Herbal i. lxiv. 86 *Canarie Seed groweth naturally in Spain. 1794Martyn Rousseau's Bot. xiii. 133 Canary seed..is found in the Canary Islands..and is cultivated in Europe for the food of Canary and other small birds. 1836Penny Cycl. VI. 230 Canary seed is chiefly cultivated in the Isle of Thanet in Kent, and about Sandwich.
1641Milton Ch. Discip. i. (1851) 18 His *canary-sucking, and swan-eating palat.
1620Venner Via Recta ii. 27 *Canarie-wine..is of some termed a Sacke, with this adiunct sweete; but yet very improperly..for it is not so white in colour as sack, nor so thin in substance. 1670R. Coke Disc. Trade 6 The Canary Wines imported.
1875Ure Dict. Arts I. 679 *Canary wood.
▪ II. caˈnary, a.
[attrib. use of canary n. 3.]
Canary-coloured, bright yellow.
1854Thackeray Newcomes II. 128 The tall canary ones with white polls. c1865Circle of Sc. I. 228/2 The..liquid is..of a canary-yellow colour. 1882Garden 14 Oct. 347/2 Overlapping florets..of a clear canary yellow.
▪ III. † caˈnary, v. Obs.
[f. canary n. 1.]
intr. To dance the canary; to dance in a lively way.
1588Shakes. L.L.L. iii. i. 12 To ligge off a tune at the tongues end, canarie to it with the feete. 1812W. Tennant Anster F. iii. ii, The saffron-elbow'd Morning up the slope Of heaven canaries in her jewell'd shoes. Ibid. iv. lxxxi, Hoar-hair'd men..Canary in unconscionable rage. |