Alewife (or kyack). In Atlantic Canada it is known as the gaspereau, from the Acadian French word "gasparot", first mentioned by Nicolas Denys. William Francis Ganong, New Brunswick biologist and historian, wrote: Gaspereau, or Gasparot. Name of a common salt-water fish of Acadia (also called alewife), first used, so far as I can find, by Denys in 1672. Nowhere can I find any clue to its origin. It seems not to be Indian. Acadians named two rivers after the fish, the Gaspereau River in Nova Scotia and the Gaspereaux River in New Brunswick. In eastern Massachusetts, Alewife Brook flows through Arlington,
Alewife (trade) all depicted as repulsive figures. Either sexually promiscuous themselves, or employers of prostitutes, the alewife was frequently associated with sinful behavior. Eynour Rummyng produces a parody of a mass while luring men away from church. The character of Kit in "The Tale of Beryn" seduces one man while flirting with another all for the purpose of selling ale. Mother Bunch's famous ale is said to be made from her nose. Whether laughed at with the alewives or against them, the language of these poems suggest that they were intended for a general public rather than exclusively the courts, making the