Mexicans call Americans "gringoes" because when the Texans went into the Battle of San Jacinto, they were singing "Green Grow the Lilacs." The Mexicans thought they were saying "gringo."

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE

Keyword(s): AMERICAN ; Battle ; Culture ; ETYMOLOGY ; Green ; Gringo ; Grow ; Language ; Lilacs ; Mexican ; NATIONALITY ; Nickname ; San Jacinto ; SLANG ; SONG ; Term

Subject headings:

PROSE NARRATIVE -- Explanation of a name

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Expression

To beat the tar out of someone means to beat them up

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE ;

Keyword(s): Beat ; EUPHEMISM ; Expression ; Injure ; Language ; Saying ; Tar ; VIOLENCE

Subject headings:

SPEECH -- Vocabulary of Special Group

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Expression

Paint the town red, or, go out on the town.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE ;

Keyword(s): COLOR ; Entertainment ; Expression ; Language ; Out ; Paint ; Red ; Saying ; Term ; Town

Subject headings:

SPEECH -- Vocabulary of Special Group

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Entertainment: Song

Song:

I gave my love a cherry that had no stone.
I gave my love a chicken that had no bone.
I gave my love a ring that had no end.
I gave my love a baby with no crying.

How can there be a cherry that has no stone?
How can there be a chicken that has no bone?
How can there be a ring that has no end?
How can there be a baby with no crying?

A cherry when it's bloomin', has no stone.

A chicken when it's pippin', it has no bone.

A ring when it's rollin', it has no end.

A baby when it's sleeping, has no crying.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE

Keyword(s): BABY ; Blooming ; Bone ; Cherry ; Chicken ; CRYING ; Entertainment ; Folksong ; MUSIC ; Pippin ; RHYME ; RING ; Rolling ; Sleeping ; SONG ; STONE

Subject headings:

Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Love

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Language: Rhyme

School's out! School's out!
Teacher wore her paddle out!

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE

Keyword(s): Entertainment ; Paddle ; RHYME ; SCHOOL ; TEACHER ; Vacation

Subject headings:

Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Verse without Music

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Custom; Agriculture

Plant beans when the sign is in the arms and the moon is dark.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE ;

Keyword(s): AGRICULTURE ; Arms ; Astrological ; ASTRONOMY ; Beans ; Dark ; FARMING ; MOON ; PLANT ; PLANTING ; SIGN ; Sky

Subject headings:

CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Measure of time Working

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Custom; Agriculture

Plant beans on Good Friday

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): AGRICULTURE ; Beans ; FARMING ; Good Friday ; holiday ; PLANT ; Religious Holiday

Subject headings:

CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Measure of time Week Day Hour

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Jump Rope Rhyme

Jump Rope Jingle

Running Through School:

I want to register

For First Grade

This is how you

Spell my name

N-A-M-E (Spell name of jumper)

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE

Keyword(s): Entertainment ; GAME ; Jump Rope ; Language ; NAME ; Register ; RHYME ; SCHOOL ; Spell ; SPELLING

Subject headings:

Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Special Object or Implement

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Method of Cleaning Silverware

Clean aluminum pan. Dissolve in it:

1 teaspoon baking sode

1 teaspoon table salt

Immerse silverware until tarnish is removed. Then rinse in clean, warm water and rub dry with clean soft cloth.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE

Keyword(s): Baking Soda ; Cleaning ; Domestic ; Household ; Ingredients ; METAL ; RECIPE ; Salt ; Silver ; Silverware ; Table Salt

Subject headings:

ART CRAFT ARCHITECTURE -- Household furniture and utensil

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Entry filtered.

Language

Historical record from James Callow Folklore Archive.

In this genre the fanciful name of the author in combination with the supposed title of the book produces a verbal irony, the import of which is most often obscene or scatalogical.

The Tiger's Revenge - Claude Balls

Hole in the Mattress - Mr. Completely

Hawaiian Romance - Komona Wanna Laiya

Russian Pastime - Ivben Jackinoff

Seventeenth Century England had something like title-author jokes. They were fake book lists with authors who were real people whom the crown was harrassing supposedly speaking on long winded topics.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: Journal of American Folklore ; Title Author Jokes Now and Long Ago

Keyword(s): Author ; BOOK ; Fictional ; HUMOR ; OBSCENE ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; SCATOLOGICAL ; Title

Subject headings:

Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Ill humor Ridicule Mockery
Filter - Mature Content

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Music

The article studies three historical traditions of the banjo, the folk, minstrel popular, and classical.

Traditions of the banjo are characterized by:

a) The ways in which knowledge of the banjo was transmitted.

b) Closeness of the performer or craftsman to his audience or clientele

c) Self-perceived relation between the craftsman or musician to other crafstmen or musicians.

Exact origins of banjo unknown. Possible from West Africa with slaves.

Earliest banjo was made from a gourd.

Frets introduced in the 1860's and 70's

Peak of development (quality) in 1920's

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: ; The Physical Development of the Banjo ; New York Folklore Quarterly

Keyword(s): Audience ; Banjo ; Classical ; Craftsman ; Folk ; Fret ; GOURD ; HISTORY ; Instrument ; Minstrel ; MUSIC ; Origin ; Performer ; Slaves

Subject headings:

ART CRAFT ARCHITECTURE -- Wood Gourd
ART CRAFT ARCHITECTURE -- Musical instrument

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Religion

An extremely grim account of religious confraternities in New Mexico and Colorado which practice self-flagellation and other penitent practices, especially on Good Friday.

The article explores the history behind and classifies different types of Muerte (death images) which are pulled on carts by penitents.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

Where learned: Journal of American Folklore ; The Origin of the Penitence Death Cart

Keyword(s): Colorado ; CUSTOM ; DEATH ; Flagellation ; Images ; Inflicted ; Muerte ; New Mexico ; REGIONAL ; RELIGION ; Self

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Custom

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Environmental Factor

Background and Environmental Factors:

Bottle Pinnacle, Wyoming - rare name - named for its shape.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE ; American Place Names

Keyword(s): Background ; Bottle ; ENVIRONMENT ; ETYMOLOGY ; Nickname ; Pinnacle ; REGIONAL ; SHAPE ; Topographical ; Wyoming

Subject headings:

PROSE NARRATIVE -- Explanation of a name

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Environmental Factor

Background and Environmental Factors:

Mitten Mountain, Montana - rare name - named because of a fire scar causing the shape of a mitten.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE ; American Place Names

Keyword(s): Background ; Environmental ; ETYMOLOGY ; FIRE ; Mitten ; Montana ; MOUNTAIN ; Nickname ; Scar ; SHAPE

Subject headings:

PROSE NARRATIVE -- Explanation of a name

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Celestial Body Legend

Idea of looking for the "man" in the moon.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE

Keyword(s): ASTROLOGY ; ASTRONOMY ; CELESTIAL ; Legend ; Man ; MOON ; Tale

Subject headings:

PROSE NARRATIVE -- Moon

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Folk Name for Animal

Bunny - for Rabbit

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE

Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; ANIMAL ; Bunny ; Folk Name ; Nickname ; Rabbit

Subject headings:

Person / Nickname

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Riddle

What's black and white and red all over?

Variations of answers:

1) Newspaper
2) Skunk with a diaper rash
3) Penguin with a sunburn
4) Blushing zebra

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE

Keyword(s): Black ; Blush ; Brain Teaser ; COLOR ; Diaper Rash ; JOKE ; NEWSPAPER ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; Red ; RIDDLE ; SKUNK ; Sunburn ; White ; WORDPLAY ; Zebra

Subject headings:

RIDDLE -- Riddle Question

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Saying

Out of Cite [sic]

This saying, used by young people, means that something is enjoyable, pleasing, or otherwise good. It can be paralleled with such jargon as "cool," "bad," or "mellow."

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; WESTLAND

Keyword(s): Bad ; Cite ; Cool ; Era ; Jargon ; Language ; Mellow ; Nickname ; SLANG

Subject headings:

SPEECH -- Formula

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