DCHP-3

turr

DCHP-2 (Oct 2016)

Spelling variants:
Turr, tuir

1n. — Newfoundland, Fauna

a name for two species of seabirds in the auk family, the common murre, also called the common guillemot, Uria aalge, and the thick-billed murre, Uria lomvia.

Type: 1. Origin — OED-3 (s.v. "turr") and ITP Nelson (s.v. "turr") suggest the term is imitative of "murre", the name for the common murre and the thick-billed murre. Clarke (2010b: 115) lists turr as one of several Newfoundland terms that appear to be inherited from another English dialect, yet to be determined. The term "murre" itself is indeed likely a preservation from British English, where it was used for any of three varieties of seabirds: the common guillemot, the razor-bill, Alca torda, or the puffin, Fratercula arctica (EDD, s.v. "murr(e)"). The razor-bill is usually called the tinker in Newfoundland (see tinker). DCHP-1 and Gage-3 define turr as including both the razor-bill and the murre, though evidence strongly suggests that Canadian usage of the term is restricted to the murre.
Though the birds were an important source of food in the past, diminishing populations have resulted in strict hunting regulations (see Department of Environment & Conservation reference). Turr is most frequent in Canada (see Chart 1), with Newfoundland accounting for the majority of hits (see Chart 2).
See also COD-2, s.v. "turr", which is marked "Cdn (Nfld)", ITP Nelson, s.v. "turr", which is marked "Newfoundland", Gage-5, s.v. "turr" which is marked "Nfld", DNE, s.v. "turr", and OED-3, s.v. "turr", which is marked "Newfoundland".
See: tinker(def. 1)

Quotations

1924
Turr. A kind of sea fowl.
1946
The millionaire's wife is made to order and it is she who keeps the home canning outfit in operation. It is she who steams and cans the succulent sea-mussels that taste so good in winter and dishes up the canned turr in summer when "fresh" is scarce.
1955
Poultry and fresh meat were usually abundant among citizens of the capital, while their less fortunate compatriots dined, if they were lucky, on salt beef and sea-birds. Shooting a turr in those times was not a punishable offence, but a profitable pastime.
1960
A common vernacular name for the murre in Newfoundland is "turr." It is used for either species and especially for a bird in winter plumage.
1975
Then you would salt in so much fish and dry it for the winter. You would salt in a barrel of herring for the winter. And on a fine day you'd go down in the bottom of the bay and kill a turr. In the late years there's none of that.
1981
Seabirds seen throughout the year, such as Razorbills, Thick-billed Murres and Guillemots, are most numerous during the fall and winter when large flocks which have bred further north arrive off the shores of Newfoundland. Common Murres which breed in Newfoundland also usually move south in winter and the large numbers of Thick-billed Murres are often mistaken for Common Murres. Both species are known locally as "Turr" and are hunted for food.
1982
George came shuffling into Marty's Diner as usual, but instead of ordering up the grand skoff of turr meat with fries and savory stuffing, he just set himself down in a corner, cursing all the while.
1999
turr (n.) a kind of sea-bird, hunted for food by Newfoundlanders. They are often bottled for consumption out of season.
2005
But melting ice isn't the only threat facing these thick-billed murres that winter off Newfoundland. About 200,000 die annually in that province's long-standing "turr hunt." A staggering 180,000 to 250,000 also die in those waters each year due to oil pollution on the water -- not sudden large spills by tankers, but the accumulated mess made by cheap individuals dumping their oily bilges in the ocean.
2014
Prior to Confederation turrs could be shot at any time of the year but when this province became a part of Canada the murre was then automatically covered under the Migratory Bird Convention Act, an international agreement involving Canada, the United States and several other countries and covering all birds which migrate to and from and around these countries. From 1949 up until the 1960s turrs were only allowed to be hunted by “outport Newfoundlanders” and then only if those doing the hunting were in need of the birds for food.

References

Images

Chart 1: Internet Domain Search, 14 Jul. 2014

Chart 1: Internet Domain Search, 14 Jul. 2014

Chart 2: Regional Domain Search, 14 Jul. 2014

Chart 2: Regional Domain Search, 14 Jul. 2014