Date:  Thu, 10 Feb 1994 16:28:35 +0500

From:  Robert Howren <howren[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]GIBBS.OIT.UNC.EDU>

Subject: A rara avis



    A neighbor of mine, a reader of mystery novels, recently noted two

instances of an odd (to us, anyway) term, one of them in a British novel,

the other in a Canadian (set on Prince Edward Island). The term:

*sparrow-fart*, meaning *daybreak* -- as in "We were up at

sparrow-fart." I've been unable to turn up the word anywhere. It must be

"real"; independent invention's unlikely.

    Has anyone on the board sighted this one?

    --Bob Howren

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    Robert Howren          Dept. of Linguistics

    howren[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]gibbs.oit.unc.edu    University of North Carolina

                    Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3155

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