Mackerel snapper topic Mackerel snapper  was once a sectarian slur for Roman Catholics , originating in the United States in the 1850s. It referred to the Catholic discipline of Friday abstinence from red meat and poultry, for which fish was substituted.
Follow @TIMECulture. Admit it: you were pronouncing the word âSmaugâ â the name of the Hobbit dragon, the one whoâs in the subtitle of the upcoming movie installation â as âsmog.â.
In The Hobbit, a thrush is the bird which shows the hidden door into the mountain of Erebor, allowing Bilbo access to the dwarves' treasure kept by the dragon Smaug, and subsequently tells Bard the Bowman how to kill Smaug, having overheard Bilbo's account of the flaw in the dragon's armour. 1  Thrushes by Peter Clement.