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English
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)
- (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.’
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.’
- (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
person or thing of no consequence
References
- ^ 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.