n. pl. — Newfoundland, Flora
needles of a coniferous tree.
Type: 2. Preservation — Sprinkles is one of the many terms in Newfoundland and Labrador English used to refer to the needles of evergreen trees. According to Clarke (2010b: 120), this term in particular is used more often on the northeast coast of the island, where there is a large population of people of southwest English ancestry. It is thus established that sprinkles, much like several other terms peculiar to the province, is a preservation from West Country English. Clarke (2010b: 120) lists brimbles and pin boughs as corresponding terms in the southern areas of Newfoundland.
See also DNE, s.v. "sprinkle" (1).