DCHP-2
screech-in Screech-in, Screech-In DCHP-2 (October 2016)
n. — Newfoundland, Social customs
an informal bonding ceremony in Newfoundland, involving drinking rum and kissing a (dead) fish, usually cod (see Image 1).
Type: 1. Origin — The term reflects the drinking of screech, an inexpensive rum bottled in Newfoundland, which is the main component of the ritual which is performed to initiate "honorary Newfoundlanders" (see the 1994 and 2007 quotations). As Chart 1 shows, the term is almost exclusive to Canada, which Chart 2 clarifies as being the result of its dissemination in the Province of Newfoundland (and Labrador).
See also COD-2, s.v. "screech-in", which is marked "Nfld."See also: screech cod moratorium
References:
Images:
Image 1: A sign advertising screech-ins in St. John's, NL. Photo: B. Ford
Chart 1: Internet Domain Search, 12 Oct. 2012
Chart 2: Regional Domain Search, 17 Apr. 2016