Sprat

Word of the Day for Friday, January 6, 2012

sprat \sprat\, noun:

1. A small or inconsequential person or thing.
2. A species of herring, Clupea sprattus, of the eastern North Atlantic.

How'd you get yourself into this, sprat, Bustard wanted to know.
-- Gene Wolfe, Epiphany of the Long Sun

Edgerton was cursing, but Mr. Bullock just shook his head. "No, sir, don't say such things in front of the little sprat…"
-- Catherine Coulter, Deception

Sprat is a variation of the Old English word sprot which meant "a sprout or twig." Its most common usage is in the nursery rhyme "Jack Sprat."

Thanks to: http://www.dictionary.com/