Dr. James T. Callow publications
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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive
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RETORT
WHEN SOMEONE ASKS YOU IF YOU HAVE A MATCH, YOU CHEERILY ANSWER BACK:
"YEAH, DAFFY DUCK AND SPIRO AGNEW." OR "SURE -- ME AND SUPERMAN."
Submitter comment: I OBTAINED THIS ONE WITHOUT EVEN ASKING FOR IT.
Where learned: UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; TOLD AT
James Callow Keyword(s): BRAG BOAST ; CARTOON CHARACTER DAFFY DUCK ANIMAL ; VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: SPIRO AGNEW
| Subject headings: | SPEECH -- Formula |
Entry filtered.
The Nun in the Bar
A guy picked up a nun in the street and invited her into a bar to have a drink with him. "I really shouldn't," said the nun. But the man finally convinced her. when they got into the bar she told him she'd have a double martini, but to bring it in a coffee cup so that other people wouldn't knwo she was drinking. "Hey bartender," the man yelled out. "Give me a double martini in a coffee cup!" "oh," replied the bartender, "That nun's back again."
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Keyword(s): BAR ; Bartender ; Bartender Jokes ; Comic dialogue ; DIALOGUE ; DRINKING HUMOR ; HUMOR ; JOKES ; Pub ; RELIGION ; RELIGIOUS ; Religious Jokes
| Subject headings: | PROSE NARRATIVE -- Religious |
The Blacksmiths Son
Long ago in a small village there lived a blacksmith. Now although blacksmiths were poor, they were, nevertheless, held in respect because they were the strongest men in the village.
People used to go to the blacksmith for advice and help. This particular balcksmithhad one son, and the blacksmith wanted his son to be a blacksmith also. But the son was lazy and did not like to work. One day he told his father: "father, I have a very brilliant idea. I'm going to learn your trade in an easy way. Here's my plan: Put me in a large basket above yuor workshop and I will watch everything you do. And by watching you constantly, I will earn your trade."
So the son was put in the basket and watched his father fort several months. Then the son said to his father: "Father, I think I'm ready." And so the father gave the son tools, and a large piece of iron, and said to his son: "now son, what are you going to make?"
"Father," the son said, "I think I'll make a hammer."
"Son," the father said, "If you can make a hammer, you will be a better blacksmith than I, because it took me five years to learn how to make a hammer." And the son worked feverishly for several days but to no avail. So the son went to his father and said: "Father, I think I'll make a horseshoe instead."
The father said; "Son, if you can make a horseshoe, you will be a better blacksmith than I, because it took me three years to learn how to make a horseshoe." The son again went out, pounding and forming, but to no avail. He said to the fahter: "Father, I think I will make a nail instead of a horseshoe."
The fahter said: "Son, if you can make a nail, you will be a better blacksmith than I, because it took me two years to learn how to make a nail." The son worked for several hours, but to no avail. He said to his father: "Father, I will make something you never made. I will make a needle."
"Son," said the father, "if you make a needle, you will be a better blacksmith than I, for no smith has made a needle. " And so, the son worked and worked until finally there was nothing left. but he did not give up. He said: "Father, I will make something with no iron at all."
"Son, if you can make something without iron, it will indeed make you a great blacksmith," the father replied.
The son said: "Come watch, Father." He took a pair of tongs and heated them red hot, and suddenly plunged them into a barrel of water, and said: "Father, I did it. I made a pss."
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original Boggs Number [ B665] crossed out and B646 is written next to it.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; ALLEN PARK
Keyword(s): Blacksmith ; FAMILY ; Father ; Hammer ; HORSESHOE ; HUMOR ; IRON ; Learn ; Lesson ; Needle ; Outsmart ; Skill ; Son ; TRADE ; Wise ; Wisecrack
| Subject headings: | PROSE NARRATIVE -- Romantic Realistic |
Mnemonic Device
-Vibgyor-
One of my art teachers tried to make it easier for us to remember colors and their place on the color wheel so she introduced to us -vibgyor-pronounced vib-gee-or.
Submitter comment:
This method works every time - I now remember them (the colors).
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs and BN added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Submission card located in pile labeled To Be Classified.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; GROSSE POINTE WOODS
Keyword(s): ART ; COLOR ; EDUCATION ; EDUCATION ADVICE ; MEMORY ; MNEMONIC ; Mnemonic Device
| Subject headings: | ART CRAFT ARCHITECTURE -- MNEM |
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 |
Ethnic: Irish/Scottish Superstition
Good Luck:
No man would ever leave Irelannd or Scotland without a bit of heather and a small bag of soil. Without these life in the new wold would be bitter.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN's [P880, F533, p880] crossed out and replaced with F533.
Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; WYANDOTTE
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; CUSTOM ; DIVINATION ; Earth ; ETHNIC ; Heather ; Herbal ; Irish ; LUCK ; NATURE ; New World ; SCOTTISH ; Soil ; SUPERSTITION ; TRAVEL
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank |
Superstition
Superstition:
That warts come from handling frogs
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [P880.440] crossed out. Replaced with current classification
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): AMPHIBIAN ; ANIMAL ; BELIEF ; CURE ; Fallacy ; FROG ; HEALTH ; ILLNESS ; MEDICINE ; SUPERSTITION ; Touching tabu ; Warts
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Means of Causing or Avoiding Illness |
Custom/Belief
Irregular Festival:
It is a custom in my family to have a big family gathering, celebration, reunion, and party whenever someone in the fammily has made the Sacrament of Confirmation or 1st Communion. The recipient recieves gifts and/or money from every other member of the fmaily. It roughlyparallels the Bar Matzvah of the Jewish Religion.
Data entry tech comment:
motifs added by TRD
Where learned: NEW YORK ; Myself ; LeRoy
Keyword(s): Celebration ; CUSTOM ; Maturity ; PARTY ; RELIGION ; RELIGIOUS ; Rite-of-Passage
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Maturity |
Custom
Lenten Customs:
About two weeks before the Lenten fasting begins, the people of New Orleans celebrate the festival of "Mardi Gras."
Actually, "Mardi Gras" means "Fat Tuesday," and this is the day before Ash Wednesday. But the people celebrate for a couple weeks beforehand, much the same way as most people celebrate Christmas.
Mardi Gras is characterized by its magnificaent parades. Various groups spend enormous amounts of time, effort and money to make their floats as beautiful as possible. throughout the parade, people sit on the floats and throw trinkets, beads and other cheap toys to the crowds who clamor to see who can catch the most. Many of these articles are virtually worthless, but I have seen expensive beads, gold pieces and even $20.00 bills being thrown too.
Besides this, each parade has its own particular name (eg- the Rex Parade) and throws off "dubloons" with the name of the parade and that year stamped on it. A "dubloon" is a silver-dollar sized plastic coin, always in purple, gold or green. Long after Mardi Gras is over, people continue to trade dubloons-to try to get a dubloon of each color from each parade. This collection of worthless plastic coins can be quite valuable.
So the parades, dubloons, balls and parties make Mardi Gras the most festive time of the whole year in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: LOUISIANA ; New Orleans
Keyword(s): Beads ; Celebration ; CUSTOM ; Float ; Mardi Gras ; New Orleans ; Parade ; PARTY ; Trinkets
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Spring Planting |
Belief: Animal
Warts/Toads:
This is the belief that a person gets warts on his hands from handling toads.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [P740] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.
Where learned: HOME
Keyword(s): AMPHIBIAN ; ANIMAL ; BELIEF ; CURSE ; Disfigure ; SUPERSTITION ; Toad ; Toads ; Wart
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Animal |
Belief: Animal
Cause for Warts:
If you touch a frog or a toad, you will get warts.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [P400] crossed out. Replaced with P440
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): AMPHIBIAN ; ANIMAL ; BELIEF ; CURSE ; Disfigure ; FROG ; SUPERSTITION ; Toad ; Warts
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Animal |
Belief: Animal
Toads give warts.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [P600] crossed out. Replaced with current classification
Where learned: UNKNOWN
Keyword(s): Amphibians ; ANIMALS ; BELIEF ; CURSE ; Disfigure ; SUPERSTITION ; Toads ; Wart
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Animal |
Belief: Animal
Some people believe that handling toads will give a person warts.
Submitter comment:
I do not believe this statement
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [P740] is crossed out. Replaced with current classification
Where learned: UNKNOWN
Keyword(s): AMPHIBIAN ; ANIMAL ; BELIEF ; CURSE ; Disfigure ; SUPERSTITION ; Toad ; Wart
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Animal |
Belief: Animal
If you touch a frog, it will cause warts.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [P870] crossed out. Replaced with current classification
Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; BIRMINGHAM
Keyword(s): AMPHIBIAN ; ANIMAL ; BELIEF ; Disfigure ; FROG ; SUPERSTITION ; Wart ; Warts
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Animal |
Superstition: Animals
Turtle:
If a turtle clamp your toe or your finger, it won't let it go until it thunder.
Submitter comment:
Informant learned from childhood
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [P752] crossed out. Replaced with current classification
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; BELIEF ; Bite ; BODY PART ; Finger ; SUPERSTITION ; Thunder ; TOE ; Turtle ; WEATHER
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Animal |
Proverb
Pennsylvania Dutch Proverb:
Girls with fat cheeks have hearts like flint.
Submitter comment:
Heard in Steelton, PA. about 1920.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Comparison?
Original BN [V200 : 700] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.
Located in pile marked Duplicates and Other Rejects.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): Cheeks ; DUTCH ; Emotions ; ETHNIC ; Fat ; Female ; FLINT ; Girl ; HEART ; LOVE ; PENNSYLVANIA ; Region
| Subject headings: | PROVERB -- Blason Populaire |
Proverb
Love is Blind
Submitter comment:
From - Uncertain
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Located in a pile marked Duplicates and Other Rejects
Original BN [V300] crossed out. replaced with current classification.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; GROSSE POINTE
Keyword(s): BLIND ; Emotions ; HEART ; LOVE
| Subject headings: | PROVERB -- Proverbial Metaphor |
Proverb
Don't put the cart before the horse
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Located in pile marked Duplicates and Other Rejects
Keyword(s): assumption ; Cart ; EAGERNESS ; HORSE
| Subject headings: | PROVERB -- Proverbial Metaphor |
Retort
If someone is giving you a made up excuse and they are doing a poor job of pulling the wool over your eyes then merely say:
Tell it to Murphy, McCarthy already heard it.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [V600] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): COMEBACK ; EXCUSE ; McCarthy ; Murphy ; RETORT ; Wool
| Subject headings: | SPEECH -- Formula |