No. 820.
EXTRACT FROM “ ALONG THE LABRADOR COAST,”
BY CHARLES WENDELL TOWNSEND, M.D. (LONDON, 1908), pp. 119–120.
“ The ancient conundrum anent a door might be paraphrased on the Labrador coast as follows: When is a fish not a fish ? When it is a salmon or a halibut or a caplin, or in fact any finny monster except a cod. Here the cod is king. He alone is fish! I was introduced to this somewhat anomalous use of the English language by overhearing the following conversation : ‛ And what did you get in your net the day, Sandy b’y ?’ ‛Only two fish, sorrh, and four salmon.’ ”
[1927lab]
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