The phrase "a dead canary" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used in contexts where you are referring to something that is no longer functioning or has failed, often metaphorically.
Example: "The project was doomed from the start, and the budget overruns were just the dead canary in the coal mine."
Alternatives: "a failed indicator" or "a warning sign".
Mr. Facciolo was murdered more than a decade ago and found with a dead canary in his mouth after it was discovered that he had become a government informer, Mr. D'Arco said.
He offended critics in 1919 with "Three Little Funeral Marches" – one for a statesman, a jaunty piece celebrating the death of a rich aunt and a melancholy lament for a dead canary.
We may be shocked by the description of Bruno Facciola's murder in New York City in 1990 (shot in both eyes, stabbed and a dead canary jammed in his mouth), but we also see photographs of 1950s celebrities in mob-run casinos and of glamorous film stars playing criminals.
A dead canary signaled need for an immediate evacuation".
TechCrunch was tipped to Silent Circle's dead canary by a reader, however the company claims it discontinued the canary as a "business decision" — not because it has received "any warrant".
The same tipster who pointed TechCrunch to the dead canary also claimed that a recent Silent OS update to Blackphone's default apps requires increased security permissions, such as access to the camera, which can no longer be disabled by users.
"The dead canary has been sent," responds a Forbes lawyer who has been watching mob movies.
The dead canary on the coal mine floor.
Enron was the dead canary, ignored by Bush, that predicted the banking meltdown.
We would bend our utensils at the breakfast table, and ritualistically stage burials of Carol Anne's dead canary, intoning, "Now I lay me down to to sleep".
"I don't mean to be crass about this, but you're going to need a lot of dead canaries," he said.
