blue canary
n.— «Col. Rich Greenwood, UHP deputy director, said the troopers who arrive at an accident first are usually the ones in the most danger. He said the program will prevent those first-responding officers from becoming victims. “Officers will no longer be a blue canary.”» —“Software shields UDOT from hazards” by Pat Reavy Deseret News (Salt Lake City, Utah) Oct. 5, 2000. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The words tough, through, and dough all end in O-U-G-H. So why don’t they rhyme? A lively new book addresses the many quirks of English by explaining the history of words and phrases. And: have you ever been in a situation where a group makes...
When there’s no evening meal planned at home, what do you call that scramble to cobble together your own dinner? Some people apply acronyms like YOYO — “you’re on your own” — or CORN, for “Clean Out your Refrigerator...