canary girl

noun

A female worker making TNT shells during World War I.

Meanings

nouncanary girl (plural canary girls)

plural canary girls

  1. UKA female worker making TNT shells during World War I.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see

Origin

Exposure to toxic TNT could turn the skin an orange-yellow colour reminiscent of the plumage of a canary.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

canary girl. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/canary%20girl

MLA

“canary girl.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/canary%20girl. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “canary girl,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/canary%20girl.

Source: canary girl on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.