to sing in tribulation
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Old slang for to confess when put to the torture. One who did this was termed in jail slang a "canary bird.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to sing in tribulation” mean?
Old slang for to confess when put to the torture. One who did this was termed in jail slang a "canary bird.
Is “to sing in tribulation” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.