sparrowgrass
[spar-oh-gras, -grahs]
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Origin of sparrowgrass
First recorded in 1650–60; by folk etymology
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for sparrowgrass
Historical Examples
I am very fond of sparrowgrass; say, asparagus, and pronounce it with the accent on par.
ConversationAndrew P. Peabody
Sparrowgrass: it is only the grossest ignorance which confounds this word with asparagus.
Look at old Pedro and Philippa over there, setting out that stuff that looks like sparrowgrass.
West Wind DriftGeorge Barr McCutcheon
I can't tell from a sparrowgrass bed what church they belong to, but they're no idolaters.
The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. AleshineFrank R. Stockton
The remark of Mrs. Sparrowgrass induced me to turn about, and I found the new horse behaving in a most unaccountable manner.
sparrowgrass
- a dialect or popular name for asparagus
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Word Origin
C17: variant of asparagus, associated by folk etymology with sparrow and grass
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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