Dr. James T. Callow publications
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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive
Your search for FO returned 1027 results.
When my family and friends are sitting around the
house watching television, we have a saying when
you get up to go to the bathroom or get something
from the refrigerator. The saying is "Place back."
Saying "Place back" means that when you come back
you get your seat back. If you don't say "Place
back," anyone can take your seat from you. When
you come back and see that your seat is gone,
the person sitting in your chair must say,
"Move your meat, lose your seat" before you say
"Place back."
Submitter comment:
The game came about from not having enough
comfortable seats in the house. We were always
arguing who got to sit in the best chair.
Where learned: MICHIGAN
James Callow Keyword(s): Reservation formula
| Subject headings: | Favorites Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Speech Speech SPEECH -- Formula |
Date learned: 00-00-1978
Entry filtered.
If you eat carrots you won't have to wear
glasses.
Submitter comment:
Informant believes this; however, she says that this
is told to children to get them to eat their carrots.
Children do not like to eat carrots but they dislike
wearing glasses even more.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
James Callow Keyword(s): FOOD ; FUNCTION
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses BELIEF -- Plant BELIEF -- Means of Causing or Avoiding Illness |
Date learned: 00001960S
On Christmas Eve day, it is good luck if the
first person to enter your house is a man and
bad luck if it is a woman.
Where learned: KANSAS ; Manhattan
James Callow Keyword(s): FIRST FOOTING ; SEXISM
Date learned: 00001920S
Now I lay me down to study.
I pray the Lord I don't go nutty.
And if I die before I wake,
That's one less test I'll have to take.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; HEMLOCK
James Callow Keyword(s): Academic folklore
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Belief Belief |
Date learned: 00001980S
There goes (insert a playmate's name) floatin' down the
Delaware, chewing on his underwear, couldn't 'ford another
pair. Ten days later eaten by polar bear. Poor old
polar bear died.
Submitter comment:
My brothers and sisters and I used to sing this to antagonize
each other.
Sung to the tune "Old Grey Mare."
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; HEMLOCK
James Callow Keyword(s): Afford ; Eaten
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Ill humor Ridicule Mockery Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children |
Date learned: 00001980S
Yo is a White Sam.
Submitter comment:
A White Sam is a stupid person or one that does the
unnecessary. The story goes that White Sam
wanted to ride to town 8 miles away but he didn't have a
saddle and the occasion demanded that he be dressed in his
finest. White Sam walked 14 miles to West End
(7 miles there and 7 back) to borrow a saddle, then rode to
town in high style.
Where learned: VIRGIN ISLANDS ; Saint Thomas
Keyword(s): Yo = you
James Callow Keyword(s): Fool Numskull
| Subject headings: | SPEECH -- Formula PROVERB -- Proverbial Metaphor |
Date learned: 03-00-1991
Diarrhea Drip, drip! Diarrhea! Drip, drip!
Some people think it's funny
But they like it hot and runny!
Diarrhea! Drip, drip! Diarrhea! Drip, drip!
Some people think it's nice
And they like it over rice!
Submitter comment:
The collector heard this as a child. It's a simple chant
where the last two lines after every "drip, drip" are changed.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
James Callow Keyword(s): Feces as food ; HUMOR ; ILLNESS ; REFRAIN ; SICK HUMOR
| Subject headings: | 730 Lyrical Verse Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Lyrical Verse Lyrical Verse Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Lyrical Verse Lyrical Verse |
Date learned: 04-00-1991
This is a cure my sister was telling me her doctor did to her.
When you have ringworm you take off your wedding band, it has
to be gold, and have someone press it firmly down in the
infected area where the ringworm shows up. Within a few days
it will clear up.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; FERNDALE
James Callow Keyword(s): homeopathic (ring for ringworm)
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Mineral |
Date learned: 00-00-1990
What is the best kind of chicken to eat?
Cooked chicken!
Submitter comment: One of her preschool children told her this riddle.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; GROSSE POINTE
Keyword(s): FOOD
| Subject headings: | RIDDLE -- Riddle Question |
Date learned: 00-00-1991
For most it is available three times a day.
For others it is always a treat.
But if those others really pray, it will come
and make their hunger go away.
Answer: food
Submitter comment:
I learned this from a street lady (bum) in
Knoxville, Tennessee.
Where learned: TENNESSEE ; Knoxville
Keyword(s): FOOD
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Prayer RIDDLE -- Riddle Question |
Rabbit Track Stew
Down South when a husband is sent out hunting and doesn't get
anything (usually because he got drunk instead of hunting) he
will come home and ask his wife if she can make dinner with
rabbit tracks because that's all he could catch. Also,
rabbit track stew is what people eat when times are tough
and there's not enough food.
Where learned: VIRGINIA, ASSUMED
James Callow Keyword(s): non-food
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Work Commerce Business Food Drink -- Meat Wild animal SPEECH -- Vocabulary |
Date learned: 00001975CA
WHILE SITTING ON A HAY BALE AT THE 1989 MICHIGAN
RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL, A FRIEND AND I OVERHEARD A YOUNG BOY CALL
ANOTHER BOY A "FROGHEAD." CONTEXT: "WAIT UP, YOU FROGHEAD!"
BOTH OF US ENJOYED THE NAME SO MUCH THAT WE SPREAD IT TO OUR
FRIENDS. MY FRIENDS AND I STILL USE THE EXPRESSION.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; Holly
Keyword(s): FROG
James Callow Keyword(s): ANIMAL NAME FOR HUMAN
| Subject headings: | Person / Nickname |
THIS SONG WAS SUNG AT FAMILY GATHERINGS IN KENTUCKY:
"I GOT CHOKED ON A COLD TATER PIE
AND I THOUGHT TO MY SOUL I WOULD DIE
I GOT CHOKED ON A COLD TATER PIE
TATER PIE! TATER PIE! I GOT CHOKED ON A COLD TATER PIE.
TATER PIE! TATER PIE! I GOT CHOKED ON A COLD TATER PIE."
THE SONG WAS SUNG AS A ROUND. EVERYONE PARTICIPATED.
Submitter comment:
MY INFORMANT MADE THE COMMENT THAT HER STRAIGHT-LACED FATHER'S
RELATIVES WOULD MAKE THE PIE, AND HER MOTHER'S MORE CAREFREE SIDE
OF THE FAMILY WOULD SING ABOUT THEM.
Where learned: KENTUCKY ; CENTRAL
James Callow Keyword(s): FOOD
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Good humor Jest |
Date learned: 00001940S
The Specialty
The "specialty," is an ice cream dessert created by my younger
sister. It consists of vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce,
marshmallows, peanut butter, whipped cream, and candy sprinkles. The
chocolate and peanut butter are melted together and poured over the
ice cream. The marshmallows are then placed around the ice cream as a
border, and the whipped cream is put on to cover the whole thing.
Candy sprinkles are then scattered over the top, and the "specialty"
is completed.
Submitter comment:
The dessert tastes good, but should never be attempted on a full
stomach.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; SAGINAW
Keyword(s): FOOD
| Subject headings: | Food Drink -- Animal product Milk product Food Drink -- Pastry Sweet Dessert |
Date learned: 00001980CA
It was believed that when an infant had a head cold, you would
mix vaseline and nutmeg together and place it in the mole {hole?}
of the infant's head, because it was soft and the head had not
closed completely. So the home remedy could work better and get
the baby well faster.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; RIVER ROUGE
James Callow Keyword(s): fallen fontanel
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses Head, physiognomy, face BELIEF -- Mineral |
Date learned: 00-00-1955
Fish And Milk
Before having a catfish dinner, I asked my mother if I could
have some milk to go with it. But my father interrupted and said
that if you've never had milk with fish before then it will kill
you.
Submitter comment:
My father had a very serious look on his face. I knew he was
wrong because they had served milk along with our lunches which
sometimes include fish as a main course.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Louise
Keyword(s): FOOD POISONING
Date learned: 00-00-1970
Unshelled Peanuts
One day my father and my oldest brother were in the car coming
from the store. My father had previously bought my brother some
peanuts at the store and told him not to eat them until they were
home. My brother began to shell the peanuts and eat them in the
car simultaneously the steering column of the car came disconnected
and my father lost control of the car and almost had an accident.
Ever since that day my father had said that it's bad luck to eat
unshelled peanuts in the car.
Submitter comment:
This was a very funny story but my father seemed convinced that
its true.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Louise
Keyword(s): FOOD
James Callow Keyword(s): Post hoc, ergo propter hoc
| Subject headings: | Favorites BELIEF -- Product or activity of man or animal |
Date learned: 00-00-1970
I've been told by my mother that hope, without faith, is like
beefsteak without gravy.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Louise
James Callow Keyword(s): FOOD
| Subject headings: | PROVERB -- Proverbial Apothegm Maxim |
Date learned: 00-00-1970
Remedy for cold or flu
Place camphorated oil in the fontella (soft spot on baby's
head) and on the bottom of the feet of the baby to get rid of any
fever in the body.
Where learned: DETROIT
James Callow Keyword(s): Fontanel
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses Head, physiognomy, face BELIEF -- Body part Senses Feet, toes, toenails BELIEF -- Plant |