If you drop a fork, and it sticks in the floor and remains in a standing position, it is a sign that a gentleman will call; but if a knife, a lady will call.
General in the United States.

If you drop a fork, and it sticks in the floor and remains in a standing position, it is a sign that a gentleman will call; but if a knife, a lady will call.
Source: Current Superstitions (1896), entry 756.
Fanny D. Bergen, editor.
Modern normalized navigation; the historical attribution above remains unchanged.