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)

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

It is known to every English sailor by the name of Mother Carey's chicken.

From Wanderings in South America by Waterton, Charles

We had him, now on our weather bow, and now crossing our course, and, once in a while, in our wake, as if he had been a Mother Carey's chicken looking for our crumbs.

From The Water-Witch or, the Skimmer of the Seas by Cooper, James Fenimore

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