fill-dyke

— Even Anglo-Saxon spin doctors gave up when it came to giving February a good name. Our ancestors called this dreary month 'Sprout-Kale', on account of cabbages being the only things that were showing signs of life. When they weren't saying things like, 'I'll be glad when Sprout-Kale is over,' they were grumbling, 'Fill-Dyke is wetter than usual' because that was another term they used for this depressing time of year.