chrk.

n.  one of the chirping noises of the Southern Grosbeak-Canary, as described in Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania by Dale A. Zimmerman.


n.  the chirp of a fantastical “ptarmigan” bird, as in The Dragonstone by Dennis L. McKiernan.


n.  the sound of a hotel desk clerk transferring a phone call to Lou Reed, as in Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung: The Work of a Legendary Critic: Rock’N’Roll as Literature and Literature as Rock’N’Roll by Lester Bangs.

chrp.

n.  the musical chatter of the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, as described in Hummingbirds: A Wildlife Handbook by Kim Long.

chrr.

n.  a harsh call delivered by the Blue-throated Flycatcher, as described in A Photographic Guide to the Birds of India and the Indian Subcontinent, Including Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives by Bikram Grewal.


n.  a noncommittal mutter.

<Chrr.  Why not?  —Leo Rosten, “Potch,” anthologized in A Passion for Books: A Book Lover’s Treasury of Stories, Essays, Humor, Love and Lists on Collecting, Reading, Borrowing, Lending, Caring for, and Appreciating Books by Harold Rabinowitz.>

chrr chrr.

n.  the echoing of a submarine’s sonar, as in “The Empire News.”

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