sparrow-fart

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See also: sparrowfart and sparrow fart

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From sparrow + fart. In the dawn sense, apparently UK dialect (Yorkshire) from ante 1828.

Pronunciation

Noun

sparrow-fart (countable and uncountable, plural sparrow-farts)

  1. (uncountable, UK, Australia, New Zealand, slang) A time very early in the day; dawn.
    • 1993, Patti Walkuski, No Bed of Roses: Memoirs of a Madam, page 111:
      “I was sick of working from sparrow fart as station cook and general dogs-body.”
    • 2005, Alexander Fullerton, Non-Combatants, Hachette UK, unnumbered page:
      ‘Took a girl to the flicks, had to get her back to Birkenhead, some goon in a tin hat and armband ordered us to take shelter in the Underground. No bloody option. So I didn′t get her home until sparrow-fart and her father didn′t believe us, turned quite nasty.’
    • 2005, Edward Canfor-Dumas, The Buddha, Geoff and Me: A Modern Story, page 110:
    • 2008, Kate Atkinson, When Will There Be Good News?, page 324:
      It felt unnaturally early, sparrowfart time of day by the feel and sound of it.
    • 2012, Gerald Seymour, The Outsiders, Hachette UK, unnumbered page:
      ‘Tomorrow. Sleep over, then off at sparrow-fart. And the car will have plates.’
  2. (countable) A person or thing of no consequence.

Usage notes

The sense is also rendered in non-idiomatic constructions such as “when the sparrow farts.”

Synonyms

Translations

References

  1. ^ 2007, Nigel Rees, A Word In Your Shell-Like, states the definition “break of day” is included in 1828, William Carr, The Dialect of Craven , →ISBN.
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