Q: "penny-fort" (not in OED): Something new, or just a "pinafore"?

[Bonnie Taylor-Blake]

On Sun, Aug 18, 2013 at 12:39 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

> We [farmhands], must be up in the morning, aye in the morning I say;
> and not lie in bed until nigh twelve, like Capt. Dashup's girls, who
> are thrumming and drumming and humming all night long with their
> _penny-forts_ [italicized] and jews-harps."
>
> "Penny-fort" is not in the OED.  Is this merely New England farmers'
> dialect for "pinafore"?  Was there something slightly disgraceful
> about being up all night in a pinafore??

Pianofortes?

-- Bonnie

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