blue canary n. an emergency worker (especially a police officer or first responder) whose death alerts other personnel to a hazardous situation. Etymological Note: From the use of canaries in coal mines, whose death would alert miners to the presence of dangerous gases. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Unwrap the name of a candy bar, and you just might find a story inside. For instance, one chewy treat found in many a checkout lane is named after a family’s beloved horse. And: 50 years ago in the United States, some Latino elementary...
It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when people disagreed over the best word to use when answering the phone. Alexander Graham Bell suggested answering with ahoy! but Thomas Edison was partial to hello! A fascinating new book about...
While the word “respondent” does in fact, according to merriam-webster.com mean “one who responds,” I believe it is more common among those in the heroic professions to refer to themselvese as first responders as opposed to first respondents. Though I’m certainly no authority on the subject, I most often hear the word “respondent” in connection with civil proceedings at law or surveys.
I think you’re right. I’ll change the definition accordingly.