sparrown.
/ˈsparəʊ/, U.S. /ˈspɛroʊ/ 1.
a. A small brownish-grey bird of the family Passeridae, indigenous to Europe, where it is very common, and naturalized in various other countries; esp. the house-sparrow Passer domesticus.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > seed eaters > family Ploceidae > [noun] > subfamily Ploceinae (weaver) > genus Passer
sparrowc725
the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > seed eaters > family Ploceidae > [noun] > subfamily Ploceinae (weaver) > genus Passer > passer domesticus (sparrow)
sparrowc725
phipc1400
Philipa1500
house sparrow1653
spug1808
sprug1815
spruggie1845
spurgie1849
spadger1862
spur1866
spuggy1874
spurg1882
gutter-bird1896
sparrer1935
α.
β. c1000 Ags. Ps. (1835) ci. 5 Ic spearuwan..gelice ge~wearð.?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 121 Ich am..ase sparewe þet is ane.?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 121 Ȝet is ancre ifeiȝet to sparewe. þet is ane under rof.a1340 R. Rolle Psalter cxxiii. 6 We ere takyn out as sparow þat flees þe snare.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 11986 Wit handes made he sparus tuelue.14.. Sir Beues (MS M.) 2526 Euery man callyd me a sparoo.c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 13 The sparow is a lytill foule janglare.a1529 J. Skelton Phyllyp Sparowe (?1545) sig. A.viiv But my Sparowe dyd pas All sparowes of the wode.1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde ii. vii. f. 79 There is no lesse plentie of popingiais, then with vs of dooues or sparous.c1616 R. C. Times' Whistle (1871) vi. 2770 Fine gellies of decocted sparrowes bones.a1721 M. Prior Turtle & Sparrow (1723) 5 The Sparrow..(A Bird that loves to chirp and talk).1785 W. Cowper Task v. 65 The sparrows peep, and quit the shelt'ring eaves.1803 W. Bingley Animal Biogr. II. 354 No Bird is better known in every part of Great Britain than the Sparrow.1897 Times 5 Jan. 10/5 Few small birds, with the exception of the robin, will face the sparrow.c725 Corpus Gloss. F 128 Fenus, spearua.
c825 Vesp. Psalter ci. 8 Geworden ic eam swe swe spearwa..in timbre.
c900 tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (1890) ii. xiii. 136 Cume an spearwa & hrædlice þæt hus þurhfleo.
c1100 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (MS. D) ann. 1067 He..sæið þæt..an spearwa on gryn ne mæg befeallan forutan his foresceawunge.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 14609 He lette forð wenden swiðe ueole sparewen. þa sparwen heore flut nomen [etc.].
a1325 Prose Psalter x. 1 Wende þou in-to heuen as a sparwe?
c1340 Nominale (Skeat) 390 [Man] takith sperwe in nette.
c1380 J. Wyclif Sel. Wks. I. 195 Þei ben betere þan many sparewis.
c1400 Brut xcv. 94 Þai..token peces of tunder..and bonde to sparwe feet.
b. Used as a term of endearment.
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the mind > emotion > love > terms of endearment > [noun]
darlingc888
belamy?c1225
culver?c1225
dearc1230
sweetheartc1290
heartc1300
sweetc1330
honeya1375
dovec1386
jewelc1400
birdc1405
cinnamonc1405
honeycombc1405
lovec1405
wantonc1450
mulling?a1475
daisyc1485
crowdy-mowdy?a1513
honeysop?a1513
powsowdie?a1513
suckler?a1513
foolc1525
buttinga1529
whitinga1529
beautiful1534
turtle-dove1535
soula1538
heartikin1540
bully?1548
turtle1548
lamba1556
nyletc1557
sweet-lovea1560
coz1563
ding-ding1564
pugs1566
golpol1568
sparling1570
lover1573
pug1580
bulkin1582
mopsy1582
chuck1589
bonny1594
chick1594
sweetikin1596
ladybird1597
angel1598
muss1598
pinkany1599
sweetkin1599
duck1600
joy1600
sparrowc1600
sucket1605
nutting1606
chuckaby1607
tickling1607
bagpudding1608
heartling1608
chucking1609
dainty1611
flittermouse1612
honeysuckle1613
fubs1614
bawcocka1616
pretty1616
old thinga1625
bun1627
duckling1630
bulchin1633
bulch?c1640
sweetling1648
friscoa1652
ding-dongs1662
buntinga1668
cocky1680
dearie1681
chucky1683
lovey1684
machree1689
nykin1693
pinkaninny1696
nug1699
hinny1724
puss1753
pet1767
dovey1769
sweetie1778
lovey-dovey1781
lovely1791
ducky1819
toy1822
acushla1825
alanna1825
treat1825
amigo1830
honey child1832
macushla1834
cabbage1840
honey-bunch1874
angel pie1878
m'dear1887
bach1889
honey baby1895
prawn1895
hon1896
so-and-so1897
cariad1899
pumpkin1900
honey-bun1902
pussums1912
snookums1919
treasure1920
wogger1922
amico1929
sugar1930
baby cake1949
angel cake1951
lamb-chop1962
petal1974
bae2006
c1600 Timon (1980) ii. i. 22 My sparrow, my hony, my duck, my cony.
c. slang. (See quots.)
ΚΠ
1879 Good Words 20 739 There are their ‘sparrows’ (beer or beer money), given by householders [to the dustmen] when their dust-holes are emptied.
1902 Daily Chron. 6 Dec. 3/7 I should like to say a few words about the milkman's secret customers, otherwise ‘sparrows’.
d. A chirpy, quick-witted person; used spec. of a Londoner, in cockney sparrow, etc.
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the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > sharpness, shrewdness, insight > [noun] > sharp person
grace-wifec1600
penetranta1734
wide awake1839
sparrow1861
sharpshins1883
the mind > emotion > pleasure > cheerfulness > [noun] > cheerful liveliness > person
sparrow1861
the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > British nation > English nation > [noun] > native or inhabitant of England > London
Londonerc1460
Londenoys1532
cockney1571
flat cap1599
Londonian1824
Cockneyess1835
Cockaigner1842
cockernee1939
cockney sparrow1961
1861 C. M. Yonge Stokesley Secret iv. 62 ‘A cock~sparrow for her London manners.’.. ‘A London-bred sparrow; a pert forward chit.’
1892 C. M. Yonge That Stick I. ix. 95 I care about my neighbours..after a sort, but the jolly city sparrows of the slums for me!
1961 John o' London's 19 Oct. 447/1 Cloak-and-dagger intellectuals, or game little cockney sparrers.
1969 J. Gardner Compl. State of Death vi. 116 ‘Your mother's English?’ ‘Yes. Ma's a little cockney sparrow.’
1969 G. Butler Coffin's Dark Number xii. 151 She recognized her for what she was, one of those sharp little London sparrows.
1977 Zigzag Aug. 4/1 There are never any low class twits, only cockney sparrows and ‘characters’.
2. With distinctive premodifiers, denoting varieties of the true sparrow, or other small birds in some way resembling these.See also field-, house-, Java, mountain-, ring-, Savannah, swamp-sparrow, and hedge sparrow n., reed-sparrow n., song sparrow n., tree sparrow n. Many other names, which have obtained little or no currency, are given in the ornithologies of Edwards, Latham, and Wilson.
ΚΠ
1668 W. Charleton Onomasticon Zoicon 78 Passeres Maculatus,..the speckled Sparrow, with a yellow tail.
1678 J. Ray tr. F. Willughby Ornithol. 385 The foolish Sparrow..is a Sea fowl, and feeds upon fish. It hath the cry of a Jay.
a1705 J. Ray Synopsis Avium & Piscium (1713) i. 187 Green Sparrow, or Green Humming Bird.
1767 tr. D. Cranz Hist. Greenland I. 85 The akpalliarsuk, or sea~sparrow,..is no larger than a fieldfare.
1771 Encycl. Brit. II. 633/2 The black fringilla..is the American black sparrow with red eyes.
1771 Encycl. Brit. II. 634/1 The black fringilla, with a white belly, is the American snow-sparrow of Catesby.
1810 A. Wilson Amer. Ornithol. II. 128 The Chipping sparrow is five inches and a quarter long.
1842 J. B. Fraser Mesopot. & Assyria xv. 368 The becafico is called the fig-sparrow.
1899 W. T. Greene Cage-birds 59 The Diamond Sparrow, also an Australian, but inhabiting further south than the Zebra Finch.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
a.
sparrow-chatter n.
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1851 W. Anderson Exposure Popery (1878) 125 Such is the sparrow-chatter of a degenerate..generation.
sparrow-hole n.
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a1722 E. Lisle Observ. Husbandry (1757) 193 Sparrow-holes under the eaves of a reek.
sparrow-kind n.
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1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth V. 299 Of Birds of the Sparrow Kind in General.
sparrow-legs n.
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1886 W. J. Tucker Life E. Europe 385 A very little man, with a very big abdomen, on sparrow legs.
sparrow-pest n.
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1884 York Herald 26 Aug. 6/5 The Chester Farmers' Club met..to discuss the sparrow pest and its remedies.
sparrow-shot n.
ΚΠ
1761 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy III. x. 33 Small curses..upon great occasions..are but so much waste of our strength... They are like sparrow shot..fired against a bastion.
1955 L. Durrell Tree of Idleness 48 Under rain, that rattles down the leaves like sparrow-shot.
sparrow-trap n.
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1877 S. Smiles Life Sc. Naturalist (ed. 4) ii. 38 A few..boys preparing sparrow-traps.
sparrow-tribe n.
ΚΠ
1842 J. C. Loudon Suburban Horticulturist 107 Among birds of the sparrow tribe, the starling deserves particular notice.
b.
sparrow-billed adj.
ΚΠ
1841 J. T. J. Hewlett Parish Clerk I. 288 Cormorants,..and the sparrow-billed puffins.
sparrow coloured adj.
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1815 J. F. Stephens Shaw's Gen. Zool. IX. ii. 385 Sparrow-coloured Bunting.
sparrow-footed adj.
ΚΠ
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 156 The women [have feet] so short & smal, that there~upon they be called Struthopodes, i. sparrow footed.
sparrow-legged adj.
ΚΠ
1965 F. Sargeson Mem. Peon vi. 173 Two young sparrow-legged ruffians.
C2.
a. Special combinations.
sparrow-beak n. dialect (see quot.).
ΚΠ
1854 A. E. Baker Gloss. Northants. Words II. 270 Sparrow-beaks, fossil shark's teeth: called also birds' beaks.
sparrow-bottle n. a jar suspended on a wall to serve as a nesting-place for sparrows.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping birds > [noun] > nesting box
sparrow-pot1831
nest box1850
birdhouse1855
sparrow-bottle1881
1881 Notes & Queries 6th Ser. 4 456 Sparrow bottles..of red ware..are continually used by most of the farmers in Thorney Fen.
sparrow-brain n. colloquial (a person with) a tiny brain, (a person of) limited intelligence or perception.
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the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupid, foolish, or inadequate person > stupid person, dolt, blockhead > [noun]
asseOE
sotc1000
beastc1225
long-ear?a1300
stock1303
buzzard1377
mis-feelinga1382
dasarta1400
stonea1400
dasiberd14..
dottlec1400
doddypoll1401
dastardc1440
dotterel1440
dullardc1440
wantwit1449
jobardc1475
nollc1475
assheada1500
mulea1500
dull-pate15..
peak1509
dulbert?a1513
doddy-patec1525
noddypolla1529
hammer-head1532
dull-head?1534
capon1542
dolt1543
blockhead1549
cod's head1549
mome1550
grout-head1551
gander1553
skit-brains?1553
blocka1556
calfa1556
tomfool1565
dunce1567
druggard1569
cobble1570
dummel1570
Essex calf1573
jolthead1573
hardhead1576
beetle-head1577
dor-head1577
groutnoll1578
grosshead1580
thickskin1582
noddyship?1589
jobbernowl1592
beetle-brain1593
Dorbel1593
oatmeal-groat1594
loggerhead1595
block-pate1598
cittern-head1598
noddypoop1598
dorbellist1599
numps1599
dor1601
stump1602
ram-head1605
look-like-a-goose1606
ruff1606
clod1607
turf1607
asinego1609
clot-poll1609
doddiea1611
druggle1611
duncecomb1612
ox-head1613
clod-polla1616
dulman1615
jolterhead1620
bullhead1624
dunderwhelpa1625
dunderhead1630
macaroona1631
clod-patea1635
clota1637
dildo1638
clot-pate1640
stupid1640
clod-head1644
stub1644
simpletonian1652
bottle-head1654
Bœotiana1657
vappe1657
lackwit1668
cudden1673
plant-animal1673
dolt-head1679
cabbage head1682
put1688
a piece of wood1691
ouphe1694
dunderpate1697
numbskull1697
leather-head1699
nocky1699
Tom Cony1699
mopus1700
bluff-head1703
clod skull1707
dunny1709
dowf1722
stupe1722
gamphrel1729
gobbin?1746
duncehead1749
half-wit1755
thick-skull1755
jackass1756
woollen-head1756
numbhead1757
beef-head1775
granny1776
stupid-head1792
stunpolla1794
timber-head1794
wether heada1796
dummy1796
noghead1800
staumrel1802
muttonhead1803
num1807
dummkopf1809
tumphya1813
cod's head and shoulders1820
stoopid1823
thick-head1824
gype1825
stob1825
stookiea1828
woodenhead1831
ning-nong1832
log-head1834
fat-head1835
dunderheadism1836
turnip1837
mudhead1838
donkey1840
stupex1843
cabbage1844
morepork1845
lubber-head1847
slowpoke1847
stupiditarian1850
pudding-head1851
cod's head and shoulders1852
putty head1853
moke1855
mullet-head1855
pothead1855
mug1857
thick1857
boodle1862
meathead1863
missing link1863
half-baked1866
lunk1867
turnip-head1869
rummy1872
pumpkin-head1876
tattie1879
chump1883
dully1883
cretin1884
lunkhead1884
mopstick1886
dumbhead1887
peanut head1891
pie-face1891
doughbakea1895
butt-head1896
pinhead1896
cheesehead1900
nyamps1900
box head1902
bonehead1903
chickenhead1903
thickwit1904
cluck1906
boob1907
John1908
mooch1910
nitwit1910
dikkop1913
goop1914
goofus1916
rumdum1916
bone dome1917
moron1917
oik1917
jabroni1919
dumb-bell1920
knob1920
goon1921
dimwit1922
ivory dome1923
stone jug1923
dingleberry1924
gimp1924
bird brain1926
jughead1926
cloth-head1927
dumb1928
gazook1928
mouldwarp1928
ding-dong1929
stupido1929
mook1930
sparrow-brain1930
knobhead1931
dip1932
drip1932
epsilon1932
bohunkus1933
Nimrod1933
dumbass1934
zombie1936
pea-brain1938
knot-head1940
schlump1941
jarhead1942
Joe Soap1943
knuckle-head1944
nong1944
lame-brain1945
gobshite1946
rock-head1947
potato head1948
jerko1949
turkey1951
momo1953
poop-head1955
a right one1958
bam1959
nong-nong1959
dickhead1960
dumbo1960
Herbert1960
lamer1961
bampot1962
dipshit1963
bamstick1965
doofus1965
dick1966
pillock1967
zipperhead1967
dipstick1968
thickie1968
poephol1969
yo-yo1970
doof1971
cockhead1972
nully1973
thicko1976
wazzock1976
motorhead1979
mouth-breather1979
no-brainer1979
jerkwad1980
woodentop1981
dickwad1983
dough ball1983
dickweed1984
bawheid1985
numpty1985
jerkweed1988
dick-sucker1989
knob-end1989
Muppet1989
dingus1997
dicksack1999
eight ball-
1930 V. Sackville-West Edwardians v. 241 I don't suppose it satisfies anyone, except perhaps a sparrow~brain like mother.
1975 H. Fleetwood Pict. of Innocence iii. 45 She didn't actually care about her, and even, with her sparrow brain, despised her.
sparrow-bub n. dialect a fledgling sparrow.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > seed eaters > family Ploceidae > [noun] > subfamily Ploceinae (weaver) > genus Passer > passer domesticus (sparrow) > young
sparrowling1849
sparrow-bub1917
1917 D. H. Lawrence Look! We have come Through! 159 Curious long-legged foals, and wide-eared calves, and naked sparrow-bubs.
sparrow club n. a society formed for destroying sparrows.
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the world > food and drink > hunting > fowling > fowler > [noun] > society for destroying sparrows
sparrow club1886
1886 Pall Mall Gaz. 29 May 4 Clubs, known as ‘sparrow clubs’, were formed expressly with a view to their utter and speedy extermination.
sparrow cop n. U.S. slang (see quots.).
ΘΚΠ
society > law > law enforcement > police force or the police > [noun] > policeman > with other specific duties
receiver1829
shoo-fly1877
charge-inspector1887
sparrow cop1896
handler1908
courtesy cop1938
community policeman1941
first responder1975
1896 Harper's Mag. June 104/1 The boys do call a park policeman a sparrow-cop, don't they?
1935 A. J. Pollock Underworld Speaks 111/1 Sparrow cop, police or motorcycle officer who patrols parks and boulevards (petty thefts and petting parties).
1960 H. Wentworth & S. B. Flexner Dict. Amer. Slang 506/2 Sparrow cop, a policeman in disfavor with his superiors and assigned to a park to guard the grass.
sparrow-fall n. poetic (cf. Shakespeare Hamlet v. ii. 166) a sparrow's death; hence gen. mortality; also attributive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > [noun] > liability to
ashc950
deathlinessOE
deadliness?c1225
mortalityc1400
mortalness1530
dyingness1700
sparrow-fall1946
1946 D. Thomas Deaths & Entrances 40 Mammoth and sparrowfall Everybody's earth.
1970 T. Hughes Crow 32 An old man..Gazed towards the nearby polished shoes And slowly forgot the deaths in Homer The sparrowfall natural economy Of the dark simple curtain.
sparrow-fart n. (a) dialect and slang, break of day, very early morning; also plural; (b) rare a person of no consequence.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > day and night > day or daytime > dawn > [noun]
aristc825
dawingc900
dayeOE
day-rimOE
day-redOE
mornOE
lightOE
lightingOE
dawning1297
day-rowa1300
grekinga1300
uprista1300
dayninga1325
uprisingc1330
sun arisingc1350
springc1380
springingc1380
day-springa1382
morrowingc1384
dayingc1400
daylighta1425
upspring1471
aurora1483
sky1515
orienta1522
breaking of the day1523
daybreak1530
day-peep1530
morrow dayc1530
peep of the morning1530
prick of the day?1533
morning1535
day-breaking1565
creek1567
sunup1572
breach of the day1579
break of day or morn1584
peep of day1587
uprise1594
dawna1616
day-dawn1616
peep of dawn1751
strike of day1790
skreigh1802
sunbreak1822
day-daw1823
screech1829
dayclean1835
sun dawn1835
first light1838
morning-red1843
piccaninny sun1846
piccaninny daylightc1860
gloaming1873
glooming1877
sparrow-fart1886
crack1887
sun-spring1900
piccaninny dawn1936
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > unimportance > [noun] > one who is unimportant
unknownc1390
pawnc1450
semi-cipher?1550
bauble1570
Jack with the feather1581
nobody1583
winterling1585
squash1600
rush candle1628
niflec1635
nullity1657
nonentity1710
featherweight1812
underscrub1822
nyaff1825
small fish1836
no-account1840
little fish1846
peanut1864
commonplacer1874
sparrow-fart1886
Little Willie1901
pipsqueak1905
nebbish1907
pie-biter1911
blob1916
smallie1930
no-count1932
zilch1933
Mickey Mouse1935
muzhik1945
nerd1951
nothingburger1953
nerk1955
non-person1959
no-mark1982
1886 R. Holland Gloss. Words County of Chester 331 Sparrowfarts, very early morning ‘Tha mun be up by sparrowfarts or tha'll be too late.’
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses iii. xviii. [Penelope] 713 Miss This Miss That Miss Theother lot of sparrowfarts skitting around talking about politics they know as much about as my backside.
1947 D. M. Davin Gorse blooms Pale 194 There we were as usual this morning at Sparrowfart, me with the jeep pulled up in front of the General's caravan.
1974 H. McLeave Only Gentlemen can Play (1975) ii. i. 92 It was important enough to bring you out here at sparrow fart.
sparrow-hail n. the smallest kind of shot.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > missile > ammunition for firearms > [noun] > bullet or shot collectively > shot > small
pellet1372
die?c1390
hail-shot1485
die-shot1581
dice-shot1588
birdshot1626
key-shot1648
mould shot1675
cartridge-shot1690
small shot1727
drop1753
shot-cornc1792
dust-shot1800
sparrow-hail1859
steel1898
scattershot1961
1859 J. Watson's Bards Border 53 Some sparrow-hail wad best despatch him.
1868 W. R. Trench Realities Irish Life (1869) 22 Some flasks of gunpowder and a quantity of ‘sparrow hail’.
sparrow-mumbling n. the action of holding a cock-sparrow's wing in the mouth, and attempting to draw in the head by movement of the lips.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > other specific games > [noun] > others
sitisota1400
papsea1450
half-bowl1477
pluck at the crow1523
white and black1555
running game1581
blow-pointa1586
hot cocklesa1586
one penny1585
cockelty bread1595
pouch1600
venter-point1600
hinch-pinch1603
hardhead1606
poor and rich1621
rowland-hoe1622
hubbub1634
handicap?a1653
owl1653
ostomachy1656
prelledsa1660
quarter-spellsa1660
yert-point1659
bob-her1702
score1710
parson has lost his cloak1712
drop (also throw) (the) handkerchief1754
French Fox1759
goal1765
warpling o' the green1768
start1788
kiss-in-the-ring1801
steal-clothes1809
steal-coat1816
petits paquets1821
bocce1828
graces1831
Jack-in-the-box1836
hot hand1849
sparrow-mumbling1852
Aunt Sally1858
gossip1880
Tambaroora1882
spoof1884
fishpond1892
nim1901
diabolo1906
Kim's game1908
beaver1910
treasure-hunt1913
roll-down1915
rock scissors paper1927
scissors cut paper1927
scissors game1927
the dozens1928
toad in the hole1930
game1932
scissors paper stone1932
Roshambo1936
Marco Polo1938
scavenger hunt1940
skish1940
rock paper scissors1947
to play chicken1949
sounding1962
joning1970
arcade game1978
1852 R. S. Hawker Cornish Ballads (1899) 147 Among them, swallowing living mice and sparrow-mumbling had frequent place.
sparrow-net n. a net fixed on a pole, used for catching sparrows living in the eaves of houses or in grain-stacks.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > fowling > fowling equipment > [noun] > net
plover net1404
tunnelc1440
setter1526
trammel1530
bird net1533
day net1576
road net1581
sparrow-net1621
shaw-net1648
trammel-net1648
spreadnet1661
pocket-hay1704
bramble-net1706
clap-net1708
tunnel-net1721
funnel-net1774
bow-net1875
flight net1889
house trap1903
pouting-net1905
1621 G. Markham Hungers Preuention 101 The Engine or Sparrow-nette..must carry this fashion or proportion.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory (1905) iii. xxii. 278/1 That on the sinister chief is termed an Eve or Easing nett, or a Sparrow nett or Purse nett.
1707 J. Mortimer Whole Art Husbandry (1721) I. 323 Many ways are made use of to destroy them; but none more effectual than the large folding Sparrow Net.
sparrow-picked adj. marked with small indentations.
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the world > space > shape > unevenness > condition or fact of receding > [adjective] > having (an) indentation(s) > small
pittedOE
sparrow-picked1898
smallpox-pitted1926
1898 F. W. Macey Specif. in Detail 130 Granite may be roughly axed, finely axed, sparrow-picked, or polished.
sparrow-pie n. a dish proverbially supposed to make the eater sharp-witted.
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the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > [noun] > dish > dish making sharp-witted
sparrow-pie1881
sparrow-pudding1896
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > sharpness, shrewdness, insight > [noun] > food of sharp-wittedness
sparrow-pie1881
sparrow-pudding1896
1881 R. D. Blackmore Christowell (1882) xxxvii How sharp you are! You've been eating sparrow-pie.
1886 P. Robinson Valley Teetotum Trees 87 Introduce another British novelty—and try sparrow-pie.
sparrow-pot n. = sparrow-bottle n.
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the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping birds > [noun] > nesting box
sparrow-pot1831
nest box1850
birdhouse1855
sparrow-bottle1881
1831 J. Rennie Montagu's Ornithol. Dict. (ed. 2) 486 Unless they multiply their Sparrow pots yearly, they may be almost certain that the supernumeraries will resort to eaves nearest their birth-place.
1833 J. C. Loudon Encycl. Cottage Archit. §550 The use of these sparrow pots is, to prevent the birds from dirtying the walls or windows with what falls from their nests.
sparrow-pudding n. = sparrow-pie n.
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the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > [noun] > dish > dish making sharp-witted
sparrow-pie1881
sparrow-pudding1896
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > sharpness, shrewdness, insight > [noun] > food of sharp-wittedness
sparrow-pie1881
sparrow-pudding1896
1896 Daily News 3 Nov. 7/2 The heckler..must rise very early in the morning and dine very liberally off ‘sparrow-pudding’.
sparrow-tail n. a long narrow coat-tail; also attributive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > coat > parts of > tail or skirt
tail1532
coat-taila1600
lappet1726
sparrow-tail1888
swallowtail1894
1888 E. Eggleston Graysons xxvi. 283 The lawyers in their blue sparrow-tail coats with brass buttons, which constituted then [about 1840] a kind of professional uniform.
b. In names of animals and plants.† sparrow-camel n. Obsolete the ostrich.† sparrow parrot n. Obsolete a small species of parrot.† sparrow's toadflax n. Obsolete (see quot. and sparrow-wort).
sparrow-bunting n. (see quot.).
ΚΠ
1894–5 R. Lydekker Royal Nat. Hist. III. 416 The sparrow-bunting (Zonotrichia albicollis),..differs from the true buntings by the exposed nostrils.
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the world > animals > birds > superorder Ratitae (flightless) > [noun] > member of Struthioniformes (ostrich)
strucion?c1225
ostricha1250
ostrich-camel1607
struthiocamel1607
sparrow-camel1646
camel-bird1771
nandu1822
struthioid1879
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica 163 The common opinion of the Oestridge, Struthio~camelus, or Sparrow-Camell conceives that it digesteth Iron. View more context for this quotation
sparrow-duck n. dialect the hooded crow.
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the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > larger song birds > family Corvidae (crow) > [noun] > genus Corvus > corvus cornix (hooded crow)
hooded crow?a1513
Royston crow1611
pied crow1648
scarecrow1676
grey crow1715
hoodie1789
Harry Denchman18..
hoodie-crow1816
bunting crow1831
Norway crow1848
saddleback1864
greyback1884
Kentish crow1893
sparrow-duck1895
1895 P. H. Emerson Birds, Beasts, & Fishes Norfolk Broadland xlix. 140 Kentishmen are sold and eaten as ‘sparrow-duck’.
sparrow-owl n. one or other of various small owls, esp. of the genus Glaucidium.
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the world > animals > birds > order Strigiformes or owl > [noun] > family Strigidae > genus Glaucidium
sparrow-owl1831
gnome-owl1885
1831 J. Rennie Montagu's Ornithol. Dict. (ed. 2) 488 The Sparrow Owl is a very rare species in England.
1870 P. Gillmore tr. L. Figuier Reptiles & Birds 553 Sparrow Owls are of small size.
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the world > animals > birds > perching birds > order Psittaciformes (parrots, etc.) > [noun] > psittacula passerina
sparrow parrot1787
1787 J. Latham Gen. Synopsis Birds Suppl. II. 93 Psittacus fringillaceus. Sparrow Parrot... General colour green, head blue.
ΚΠ
1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 443 Passerina linaria. Sparrowes Tode flaxe... This plant also for resemblance sake is referred vnto the Linaries, bicause his leaues be like Linaria.
sparrow's-tongue n. the knot-grass, Polygonum aviculare.
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the world > plants > particular plants > plants perceived as weeds or harmful plants > weed > [noun] > knot-grass
swine's grasslOE
bird's-tonguea1300
sparrow's-tonguea1400
corrigiolec1400
swinecress?a1425
knot-grass1538
way-grass1565
centinode1611
pinkweed1657
breadwort1736
stone-weed1847
allseed1855
knotwort1864
wire-weed1864
willow weed1866
knotweed1884
a1400 Stockholm Med. MS. in Archaeol. XXX. 413 Sparwys-tungge,..Centenodium.
1597 J. Gerard Herball Table Eng. Names Sparrowes toong, that is Knotgrasse.
sparrow-wort n. (see quots.).
ΚΠ
1760 J. Lee Introd. Bot. App. 327 Sparrow-wort, Passerina.
1760 J. Lee Introd. Bot. App. 327 Sparrow-wort, Tragus's, Stellera.
1852 G. W. Johnson Cottage Gardeners' Dict. 681/2 Passerina. Sparrow-wort... Greenhouse evergreens, white-flowered, and from the Cape of Good Hope.
Derivatives
ˈsparrowcide n. the destruction of sparrows.
ΚΠ
1865 St. James' Mag. Feb. 375 Sparrowcide is not a modern crime, but was extensively practised by our forefathers.
ˈsparrowdom n. the region of sparrows.
ΚΠ
1880 Fraser's Mag. Jan. 49 At least, when we get outside the cities we get outside of Sparrowdom.
ˈsparrower n. one who snares or kills sparrows.
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the world > food and drink > hunting > fowling > fowler > [noun] > using snare or net > trapper of specific birds
lark-catcher1618
larker1634
sparrower1830
mutton-birder1881
birder1918
1830 J. W. Warter tr. Aristophanes Birds in tr. Aristophanes Acharnians 226 Should any one of you slay Philocrates the Sparrower, he shall receive a talent.
ˈsparrowhood n. the condition of being a sparrow.
ΚΠ
1869 Echo 2 Sept. The sparrows, so soon as ever they grow from the callow state to mature sparrowhood, become..dark and rusty.
ˈsparrowish adj. characteristic of a sparrow.
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the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > seed eaters > family Ploceidae > [adjective] > of or resembling the sparrow
sparrow-like1611
sparrowish1641
sparrowy1891
1641 True Char. of Untrue Bishop 4 Witnesse his many Sparrowish, Wrenlike wanton extravagances.
ˈsparrowless adj. devoid of sparrows.
ΚΠ
1848 W. Stirling Ann. Artists Spain I. 371 In these sparrowless shades, Factor spent much of his time.
ˈsparrowling n. a young sparrow.
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the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > seed eaters > family Ploceidae > [noun] > subfamily Ploceinae (weaver) > genus Passer > passer domesticus (sparrow) > young
sparrowling1849
sparrow-bub1917
1849 Fraser's Mag. 39 573 A poor, unfledged, twittering sparrowling.
ˈsparrowy adj. (a) abounding in, frequented by, sparrows; (b) characteristic of or resembling a sparrow; so sparrowy-looking adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > seed eaters > family Ploceidae > [adjective] > of or resembling the sparrow
sparrow-like1611
sparrowish1641
sparrowy1891
the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > seed eaters > family Ploceidae > [adjective] > of or resembling the sparrow > abounding in sparrows
sparrowy1891
1891 G. Meredith One of our Conquerors II. iv. 85 London of the sparrowy roadways and wearisome pavements.
1926 S. Sitwell All Summer in Day i. i. 18 The sun, also, was very sparrowy in voice, and both sun and birds seemed satisfied for the moment.
1948 I. J. C. Brown No Idle Words 31 Were they [sc. buntings] bunters in the perky..sparrowy sense.
1953 D. A. Bannerman Birds Brit. Isles I. 300 The female is a sparrowy-looking little bird at all seasons.
1955 R. Graves Greek Myths I. lxxiv. 252 Castor and Polydeuces..come darting on ‘sparrowy wings’ through the upper air.
1976 A. J. Russell Pour Hemlock vii. 63 She clutched steno pad to sparrowy chest.
Draft additions 1993
plural. (Usually with capital initial.) In the Philippines, the members of a sparrow unit (see sense Compounds 2a); a sparrow squad.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > politics > other national politics > [noun] > communist group or member in Philippines
sparrows1983
sparrow unit1984
sparrow squad1987
1983 Christian Sci. Monitor 17 May (New Eng. ed.) 12/3 They [sc. the NPA] have small units called ‘sparrows’ which concentrate on seizing guns from soldiers. ‘They're called that because sparrows blend into their surroundings so well.’
1986 Los Angeles Times 18 Aug. i. 7/2 As she tells it, her 26-year-old husband..was an assassin, a member of an elite rebel liquidation squad known as the Sparrows.
1987 Sunday Mail (Brisbane) 15 Nov. 27/1 The operations are in response to the killing of 16 people in and around Manila in the past fortnight, all of them thought to be the victims of ‘Sparrows’.
1988 Facts on File 22 Apr. 292/1 Kintanar was believed to be the chief organizer of the guerrilla assassination squads known as ‘Sparrows’.
Draft additions 1993
sparrow squad n. = sparrow unit n. at Additions.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > politics > other national politics > [noun] > communist group or member in Philippines
sparrows1983
sparrow unit1984
sparrow squad1987
1987 U.S. News & World Rep. 16 Mar. 42/1 Every day, newspapers carry accounts of three or four violent incidents somewhere in the country—local officials ambushed by NPA ‘Sparrow Squad’ assassins, or guerrillas killed by military patrols.
1988 Weekend Austral. 30 Jan. 1/4 The two spokesmen..represented the NPA's Alex Boncayao Brigade (ABB), an urban warfare unit established in Manila in 1984 to carry out assassinations through the operation of small armed units called sparrow squads.
Draft additions 1993
sparrow unit n. [after their fast in-and-out tactics] colloquial in the Philippines, any of a number of small guerrilla squads representing the militant sector of the Communist Party, which conduct attacks on policemen, government officials, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > politics > other national politics > [noun] > communist group or member in Philippines
sparrows1983
sparrow unit1984
sparrow squad1987
1984 Summary of World Broadcasts Pt. 3: Far East (B.B.C.) 30 June FE/7683/B/1 Police operations revealed that members of the so-called sparrow unit were involved in kidnap-for-ransom and other extortion activities to raise funds for their armed struggle against the government.
1989 Christian Sci. Monitor 28 Apr. 19/3 Urban assassination teams, or ‘sparrow’ units, have killed several Philippine police officers, soldiers, and officials.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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