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James T. Callow Computerized Folklore Archive
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Maxim

A lot of girls would have hourglass figures if time hadn't shifted the sands.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs and BN added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [B660] is crossed out. Nothing replaces it.

Submission card was located in a pile marked To Be Classified.

Where learned: HOME ; Trompeter, Daniel

Keyword(s): ANTIFEMINISM ; BEAUTY ; Feminism ; Jest, Anecdote, Pun, Joke, Irony ; JOKE ; Physical ; PUN ; SEXISM

Subject headings: PROVERB -- Proverbial Apothegm Maxim

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Maxim

Christopher Columbus set an example the Government's never forgotten. He didn't know where he was going, he didn't know where he was when he got there, and he did it all on borrowed money.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs and BN added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [B660] crossed out. Nothing replaces it.

Submission card located in pile marked To Be Classified.

Where learned: HOME ; Trompeter, Daniel

Keyword(s): AMERICAN ; Christopher Columbus ; Government ; Jest, Anecdote, Pun, Joke, Irony ; JOKE

Subject headings: PROVERB -- Proverbial Apothegm Maxim

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Parody on a Proper Name

Sister Edith Kathleen was discussing current novels one day in our English class when she asked "Have you heard the latest book, 'Catch Her in the Raw? (A parody on the book Cathcher in the Rye)

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs and BN added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [S580] crossed out. Nothing written in place.

Submission card located in pile labeled To Be Classified.

Where learned: Sister Edith Kathleen ; CLASS

Keyword(s): BOOK TITLE ; Classroom ; CLASSROOM HUMOR ; EDUCATION ; LITERATURE ; PARODY ; PUN ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings: Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Autograph Verse Translations, plays on words, symbol writing
Filter - Mature Content

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Custom

Buddhists wear miniature images of buddha around their necks. When displaying the image of the Lord Buddha in the homes or elsewhere, the Thai are careful to place the image high enough so that no human can be at a higher level or walk above the image.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs and BN added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [F538] crossed out. Not replaced with anything.

Submission card was located in pile labeled To Be Classified

Where learned: WHILE STATIONED IN THAILAND ; Helferty, Dennis

Keyword(s): BUDDHA ; Buddhism ; CUSTOM ; ETHNIC ; RELIGION ; RELIGIOUS ; RELIGIOUS CUSTOM ; SYMBOL ; THAILAND

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Custom
BELIEF -- Use of Object Religious objects

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Custom

Custom About Buying Beer:

In the olden days, when you had saloons, and you had draft beer, you would go to the saloon with a bucket to carry home the beer that you bought. One of the old tricks was to gease the inside of the bucket so that the beer wouldn't foam, and you'd get more beer that way.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [F500] crossed out. Replaced with F530.

Submission Card located in pile labeled F500's that can be filed.

Where learned: TOLD AT INFORMANTS HOME ; Schutza, Harold J

Keyword(s): BAR ; BEER ; CUSTOM ; FRUGALITY ; THRIFT

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Daily Life

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Custom

Greetings:

Offering salt and bread and flowers is a way of greeting a person who has arrived from a long trip. This custom is one which was performed commonly in S.E. Poland and in Ukraine many years ago (prior to WWI) at that time it was used to greet any traveler regardless of his social position. Now recently it is used only in greeting people like priests, bishops, government officials, etc.

Submitter comment:

Although informant mentioned that this custom is carried out in Europe, I myself have observed this several months ago when people in a Ukrainian church greeted a bishop which had just been released from prison by the Russians.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; 26516 PENNIE ; Holubka, Julia ; DEARBORN HEIGHTS

Keyword(s): CUSTOM ; FLOWERS ; GREETING ; POLAND ; Salt, Bread ; Social Class ; Ukraine

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank

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Custom

Ukrainians have a custom of greeting honored guests with bread and salt. The host or hostess, carrying a plate with a loaf of bread and a mound of salt on top of it, meets the guest at the door with proper salutations, in expression of greetings & hospitality. Newlyweds are installed in their new home with a ritual of bread and salt.

Submitter comment:

Today this custom is used only by organizations when greeting individuals of great distinction.

Data entry tech comment:

Motif added by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; WARREN ; Klymyshyn, Eudokia ; MOTHER

Keyword(s): BREAD, Salt ; CUSTOM ; DOMESTIC RELATIONS ; ETHNIC ; MARRIAGE ; Salt, Bread ; Social Rank ; SOCIAL RELATIONS ; UKRAINIAN

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank

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Custom

Chimney Sweep:

In Belgium, or Europe for that matter, each house usually had two or more chimneys. Since they needed cleaning periodically, chimney sweeps were common. Some of these were employed by the cities for the purpose. But, in each case, it was good practice to give the sweeper a good tip, for if you didn't he would play tricks on you. For instance, he might come back to clean your chimney at a future date, but not tell you. Then you would be unprepared and the soot would come into the house because you didn't close the soot door in time.

Submitter comment:

Recorded on Tape

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [M848] crossed out and replaced with F534

Where learned: PENNSYLVANIA ; 935 FIDELITY DR ; Marcischak, Mrs Helen ; PITTSBURGH

Keyword(s): BUSINESS ; Chimney Sweep ; CUSTOM ; Gratuity ; OCCUPATIONS: CHIMNEY SWEEPING ; PRACTICAL JOKE ; TIPPING ; WORK

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Work Commerce Business

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Custom/Belief

Belief, Custom - Planting:

On the feast day of St. Andrew everyone plants cucumbers to ensure a good planting season for the year.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P535, F643] crossed out and replaced with F535

Where learned: HOME ; Mathes, Rita

Keyword(s): BELIEF ; Cucumbers ; CUSTOM ; HARVEST ; Offering ; PLANT VEGETABLE ; RELIGIOUS ; St. Andrew ; VEGETABLE

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- F535

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Custom

Good Friday and Planting Custom:

Potatoe [sic] seeds should be planted, if at all possible, on Good Friday.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [F663] has been crossed out and replaced with F535

Where learned: HOME ; NEW YORK ; Hackett, Vincent ; LeRoy

Keyword(s): AGRICULTURE ; CUSTOM ; FARMING ; Good Friday ; HARVEST ; PLANT VEGETABLE ; POTATO ; Religious Holiday ; VEGETABLE

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- F535

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Prank

In LeRoy, N.Y. a common prank would be to call a person on the telephone and tell him you were from teh water department. You would ask him to fill up his bathtub, since the water was to be off for the next day. The pranksters had no connections with the water department, and people would be without use of bathtubs for the night.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: Myself

Keyword(s): Bathtub ; Diversion ; Entertainment ; PRANKS ; TELEPHONE PRANK ; Water Department

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Entertainment Diversion

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Prank

Fletcher Tube:

The Fletcher Tube us a non-existent piece of equipment. When freshmen are having problems in lab, you tell them that a Fletcher Tube will do the trick. They go to the stockroom to check one out and are laughed at.

Submitter comment:

Informant said that he pulled this gag while he was a graduate student.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT ; CLASSROOM ; CHEMISTRY BUILDING ; Marcantonio, Arnold

Keyword(s): ACADEMIC JOKES ; Chemistry ; COLLEGE ; COLLEGE PRANK ; COLLEGE PRANK ; Entertainment ; Freshman ; Hazing ; JOKE ; Laboratory ; PRACTICAL JOKE ; Prank

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Entertainment Diversion

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Ethnic: Chinese

Chinese Fire Drill:

When a light turns red, somebody yells "Chinese Fire Drill" and everybody piles out of the car and runs around it and gets back in.

Submitter comment:

I was told this by a group of friends who had attended Roosevelt High School in Wyandotte, MI. (1966-68). In 1969 I participated in such a drill.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

BN [F536] written again above the original BN of the same classification. Nothing is crossed out, although it looks like there may have been something erased underneath the original BN. (The second instance may be for clarification purposes.)

Where learned: Myself

Keyword(s): AUTOMOBILE ; CHASING GAME ; Chinese ; DEROGATORY ; ETHNIC ; GAME

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Entertainment Diversion

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Prank

TeePee-ing Houses:

A group of people go to a house late at night and throw toilet paper up into the trees, decorate the shrubbery and generally create a real mess.

Submitter comment:

This was done to my house by a group of friends who had attended Roosevelt High School in Wyandotte, MI. It was done in May of 1968. It seems that this was not an uncommon practice for them to do to their friends.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: Myself

Keyword(s): Amusement ; CUSTOM ; Diversion ; Entertainment ; JOKE ; PRACTICAL JOKE ; Prank ; Shrubbery ; Toilet Paper

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Entertainment Diversion

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Custom

Bicycling:

In Belgium, where bicycles and bicycle racing is still very popular, it is very common to see people walking beside very nicely decorated bikes during a parade. Decorations could consist of colored paper, ribbons, or roses which might be interwoven in the spokes of the wheels, etc. This custom is continued for the spectacle and unique designs which appear.

Submitter comment:

Recorded on Tape.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [M247.6] crossed out and replaced with F536.

The word Bicycling is written across the top of the entry.

Where learned: PENNSYLVANIA ; RESIDENCE ; Marcischak, Mrs Helen ; 335 Fidelity Dr ; PITTSBURGH

Keyword(s): ADORNMENT BEAUTIFICATION ; Belgium ; Bicycle ; Bicycling ; CUSTOM ; Decorate ; ETHNIC ; Parade ; Ribbons ; Roses

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Entertainment Diversion

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Belief: Children's Song

Step on a Crack-break mother's back

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P880] is crossed out. C860.740 replaces it.

The words Bad Luck are written across the top of the submission card, and subsequently crossed out.

Where learned: Myself

Keyword(s): Back ; BELIEF ; CHILDHOOD ; CHILDREN ; Crack ; GAME ; Line ; MOTHER ; RHYME ; SONG ; Spine ; SUPERSTITION ; VERSE

Subject headings: Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Belief Belief

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Belief: Children's Song

DON'T STEP ON A CRACK OR YOU'LL BREAK YOUR MOTHER'S BACK.

Submitter comment:

IS AN OLD CHILDHOOD SAYING THAT THIS INFORMANT REMINDED ME OF.

Data entry tech comment:

Updated on 12-01-2010 / Motifs and Keywords added by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): Back ; BELIEF ; CHILDHOOD ; CHILDREN ; Crack ; GAME ; MOTHER ; RHYME ; SONG ; Spine ; SUPERSTITION ; VERSE

James Callow Keyword(s): ADVICE: NEGATIVE

Subject headings: Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Lyrical Verse Lyrical Verse
Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Belief Belief
BELIEF -- Means of Causing or Avoiding Illness
SPEECH -- Game Pastime Sport S555.500

Date learned: 03-30-1968

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Belief: Children's Song

STEP ON A LINE,
BREAK YOUR FATHER'S SPINE.
STEP ON A CRACK,
BREAK YOUR MOTHER'S BACK.
STEP ON A HOLE,
BREAK YOUR MOTHER'S SUGAR BOWL.

Submitter comment:

CHILDREN SING THIS SONG WHILE WALKING TO SCHOOL.

Data entry tech comment:

Updated on 12-01-2010 / Motifs and Keywords added by TRD

Where learned: UNKNOWN

Keyword(s): Back ; BELIEF ; CHILDHOOD ; CHILDREN ; Crack ; Domestic ; GAME ; Hole ; Line ; MOTHER ; RHYME ; SONG ; Spine ; Sugar ; SUPERSTITION ; VERSE

Subject headings: Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children
Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Belief Belief
BELIEF -- Means of Causing or Avoiding Illness

Date learned: 01-21-1968

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Belief: Children's Song

STEP ON A CRACK, BREAK THE DEVIL'S BACK.

Data entry tech comment:

Updated on 12-01-2010 / Motifs and Keywords added by TRD

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): AA ; Back ; BELIEF ; CHILDHOOD ; CHILDREN ; Crack ; DEVIL ; GAME ; MOTHER ; RELIGION ; RHYME ; SONG ; Spine ; SUPERSTITION ; VERSE

Subject headings: Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Lyrical Verse Lyrical Verse
Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Belief Belief
BELIEF -- Devil Demon

Date learned: 11-19-1969

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Belief: Children's Song

(1) DON'T STEP ON A CRACK OR YOU'LL BREAK YOUR MOTHER'S BACK.
(2) IF YOU STEP ON A LINE YOUR MOTHER DRINKS WINE.

Submitter comment:

MY BLACK NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOORS TOLD ME THESE TALES WHEN I WAS A KID.

Data entry tech comment:

Updated on 12-01-2010 / Motifs and Keywords added by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; FRANKLIN VILLAGE

Keyword(s): ALCOHOL ; Back ; BELIEF ; CHILDHOOD ; CHILDREN ; Crack ; GAME ; Line ; MOTHER ; RHYME ; SONG ; Spine ; SUPERSTITION ; VERSE ; Wine

James Callow Keyword(s): NEGRO

Subject headings: Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Lyrical Verse Lyrical Verse
Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Belief Belief

Date learned: 00001960S

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