From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishspratsprat /spræt/ noun [countable] HBFa small fish that is cooked and eaten whole
Examples from the Corpus
sprat• This year a mere sprat of a northern lass won my heart playing hers out on a mighty and sonorous trombone.• In fact, Knight Gobies will eat anything from flake to lumps of sprat.• It is a great shoal of sprats that has assembled in these inshore waters.• Once a shoal of respectable dace are attracted in by your feeding, the sprats and minnows will be shouldered out.• Yet numerous younger sprats swam with a gang too.Origin sprat Old English sprott 