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.

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)

I am never tired of the calms, and I enjoy a stiff gale like a Mother Carey’s chicken, so long as I can be on deck or in the captain’s cabin. 

From Letters from the Cape by Duff Gordon, Lucie, Lady

The cape petrel, or pintado bird; the small blue one, which is always seen at sea, and the small black one, or Mother Carey's chicken, are not here in great numbers.

From A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 15 Forming A Complete History Of The Origin And Progress Of Navigation, Discovery, And Commerce, By Sea And Land, From The Earliest Ages To The Present Time by Kerr, Robert

Mother Carey's chicken hovers near when the elements are at strife.

From Romantic Spain A Record of Personal Experiences (Vol. II) by O'Shea, John Augustus

"Ay, and ye see Mother Carey's chicken yonder," said Danny, pointing where the stormy petrel was scudding close to a white wave and uttering a dismal cry.

From She's All the World to Me by Caine, Hall, Sir