Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A clupeoid fish, Sardinella pilchardus, caught in great numbers in the English Channel, in the seas of Spain and Portugal, and in the Mediterranean. They are cooked and packed in oil in tin cans.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun a small fatty European fish; usually smoked or canned.
  • noun a small herring (Clupea sprattus) processed like a sardine.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A sprat (small herring)

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun small fatty European fish; usually smoked or canned like sardines
  • noun small herring processed like a sardine

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Norwegian, alteration (influenced by brisa, to flash) of Low German bretling, from bret, broad.]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word brisling.

Examples

  • On the episode of "Good Eats" on which Alton presented this recipe, he got around most of our reactions to sardines by referring to them as "brisling," the actual name of the fish in question.

    Lake Neuron 2010

  • On the episode of "Good Eats" on which Alton presented this recipe, he got around most of our reactions to sardines by referring to them as "brisling," the actual name of the fish in question.

    Lake Neuron 2010

  • NELSON: Well, the Egyptian government is brisling at foreign response.

    Egypt Policemen Back On Trial In Brutality Case 2010

  • RAZ: Now, this recipe is really about sardines, and in this case, canned brisling sardines, not filleted sardines, again because they're cheap, plentiful, sustainable and good for you.

    A Challenge For A Top Chef: Make Sardines Tasty 2010

  • At the bush, the dogs shrank away as if frightened, and returned to their masters, their hair brisling on their backs.

    The Lilac Fairy Book 2003

  • At the bush, the dogs shrank away as if frightened, and returned to their masters, their hair brisling on their backs.

    The Lilac Fairy Book Andrew Lang 1878

  • (And actually, they're technically brisling sprats; "Sardine" is just a general term for packed fish in the herring family).

    Original Signal - Transmitting Buzz 2010

  • The recipe called for brisling sardines packed in olive oil, more expensive than some types of sardines.

    Lake Neuron 2010

  • The gag was that at one point, the paper label fell off his can of brisling to reveal the real "sardines" label underneath.

    Lake Neuron 2010

  • (And actually, they're technically brisling sprats; "Sardine" is just a general term for packed fish in the herring family).

    Original Signal - Transmitting Buzz 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • The small brisling sardines, which move into Norwegian fjords at certain times of the year, are claimed by local residents to be tastier than the larger sardine cousins.

    March 21, 2011