Mother Carey's chicken

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Here’s a Mother Carey’s chicken come aboard!” cried Sam Weeks, making for the poor tired thing to catch it.

From Afloat at Last A Sailor Boy's Log of his Life at Sea by Overend, William Heysham

I haven’t got the heart of a Mother Carey’s chicken.

From The Buffalo Runners A Tale of the Red River Plains by Ballantyne, R. M. (Robert Michael)

This little schooner was in ballast, and skimmed over the seas like a Mother Carey's chicken; ranged up on our weather quarter and hailed us.

From Jack in the Forecastle or, Incidents in the Early Life of Hawser Martingale by Sleeper, John Sherburne

You don’t want me to take in sail surely with this wind, you old Mother Carey’s chicken?

From Picked up at Sea The Gold Miners of Minturne Creek by Hutcheson, John C. (John Conroy)

I can repeat something, in the fairy-tale style, which was told me by Mother Carey's chicken, when we were waiting for the nestling to grow strong enough for us to make our journey.

From The Cricket's Friends Tales Told by the Cricket, Teapot, and Saucepan by Johnson, Virginia W.