February fill-dike

English

Alternative forms

February fill-dyke (or without a hyphen)
February fill dyke, be it black or be it white
fill-dike, fill-dyke

Proper noun

February fill-dike

A rural appellation for the month of February, when rain or melting snow fills dykes with water.
- 1837 William Hone - The every-day book and table-book; or, Everlasting calendar of popular amusements
  Regarding the season, there is an old proverb worthy noticing: February fill dike, be it black or be it white.
- 1851 Thomas Sternberg - The Dialect and Folk-lore of Northamptonshire
  January white, February fill-dike.
- 1997 -- Marion Kelsey: Victory Harvest: Diary of a Canadian in the Women's Land Army (page 174)
  Doris, in her terror, had forgotten that February fill-dike is upon us

Translations

rural appellation for the month of February

Russian: февра́ль-водоле́й m (fevrálʹ-vodoléj)
Spanish:
Castilian: Febrero, cebadero (dated), Lluvioso febrero, año cebadero (dated)

References

OED 2nd edition 1989

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