Wordie: Sparble: Comments

Comment by chained_bear, 5 months ago

Tue, 06 May 2008 00:34:14 +0000

"The sealers, uncertain of their direction, had to feel their way forward with their dogwood gaffs like blind men, crunching the snow with the cleats of their sparbles."
—David Macfarlane, The Danger Tree, 71

"Sparable, also sparble. Headless nail; sparrowbill. A short nail or cleat, used to stud heel and sole of a boot to prevent slipping on the ice; hobnail; chisel, froster."
—Dictionary of Newfoundland English, 508

Comment by jennarenn, about 1 year ago

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 05:36:11 +0000

Sparble means to scatter. The one time I heard it, it was in the context of houses being "sparbled around."

Comment by trivet, about 1 year ago

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 23:10:35 +0000

nice - even if it sounds more like a gait - just a bit faster than a shamble, perhaps?

Comment by reesetee, about 1 year ago

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 18:58:37 +0000

Quite a word!

YYYEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 18:27:25 +0000

I have been LOOKING for this word for ~ a year. I heard some old-timer use it last spring, but I misheard it as scarble. reid_burkland, you made my day!!!!