Ohio

Entries

• #13

  A double crown on the head means that the owner will “break bread in two kingdoms.”

  Northern Ohio.
• #40

  Always give a baby salt before it tastes aught else. The child will not choke, and in general it is a good thing to do.

  Mansfield, O.
• #50

  If the empty cradle be rocked, the baby will have the colic.

  New York and Ohio.
• #71

  In making a false statement, it was proper to say “over the left.” This was often uttered in such manner that the person addressed should not perceive the qualification. Or, the statement would be made, and after it had been taken in and believed, the words “over the left” would be added.

  Ohio and Cambridge, Mass.
• #73

  An imprecation of children against disloyalty:—

  Tell tale tit,
  Your tongue shall be slit,
  And every dog in our town
  It shall have a bit.

  Ohio.
• #78

  At Christmas or New Year’s children, on first meeting, call out “My Christmas-gift,” or “New Year’s-gift,” and the one who calls first is to receive a gift from the other.

  Mansfield, O.
• #83

  “As a child, I constantly looked into lilies and tulips in the expectation of finding fairies lying within them.”

  Mansfield, O.
• #86

  At the age of six or seven years, a child, while going to a spring to draw water, saw a little creature with wings fly from one star to another, leaving behind an arc of light. She cried to her aunt: “Oh, aunt, I saw a little gold-boy!” Her aunt, somewhat shocked, rebuked the child, who insisted on the literal truth of her vision.

  Mansfield, O.
• #94

  When a child loses a tooth, if the tongue is not put into the cavity a gold tooth will come in place of it.

  New York and Northern Ohio.
• #119

  Another formula:—

  (First finger) a friend,
  (Second finger) a foe,
  (Third finger) a gift,
  (Fourth finger) a beau,
  (Fifth finger) a journey to go.

  An almost identical variant is found in Prince Edward Island.

  Mansfield, O.
• #123

  Vertical wrinkles in the brow show the number of husbands one will have. Horizontal ones show the number of children.

  Northern Ohio.
• #124

  Coarse hair indicates good nature; fine hair quick temper.

  Northern Ohio.
• #134

  Hairy arms mean wealth.

  Northern Ohio.
• #150

  Moles on the neck,
  Money by the peck.

  Prince Edward Island and Northern Ohio.
• #159

  A space between the two front upper incisors signifies wealth.

  Mansfield, O.
• #163

  A lump (enlarged papilla) on the tongue is a sign one has told a lie.

  Mansfield, O.
• #167

  Similar rhymes commonly repeated in northern Ohio, after naming an apple and counting the seeds, are,—

  One I love,
  Two I love,
  Three I love, I say.
  Four I love with all my heart,
  And five I cast away.
  Six he loves,
  Seven she loves,
  Eight they both love.
  Nine he comes,
  Ten he tarries,
  Eleven he courts,
  And twelve he marries.

  Prince Edward Island and Mansfield, O.
• #169

  A love divination by way of apple-seeds, much practiced when a number of young people were spending the evening together, or perhaps by grown-up boys and girls in district schools as they ate their noon-day lunch about the stove, was as follows:—

  Two seeds were named, one for a girl and one for a young man, and placed on a hot stove or in front of an open fire. The augury, concerning the future relations of the young people was derived from the behavior of the two seeds. If as they heated they jumped away from one another, the two persons would become estranged or their friendship die; if the seeds moved nearer together, marriage was implied; if the one named for the girl moved towards the other, it signified that the young woman was fonder of the young man than he was of her, and so on.

  Northern Ohio.
• #176

  The first time two girls sleep together let them tie two of their big toes together with woollen yarn, and the one with the shortest piece of broken string left attached in the morning will be married first.

  Northern Ohio.
• #187

  The coming husband is determined by repeating the following words, touching each button of the coat, vest, or dress in order:—

  Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief.
  Doctor, lawyer, Indian chief.
  Or,
  Doctor, lawyer, merchant, chief.
  Or,
  Doctor, lawyer, merchant, cheat.

  Ohio.
• #228

  Boil an egg hard, take out the yolk, and fill its place with salt. Eat it before going to bed. The one you dream of as bringing you water is your future husband.

  To be done by two girls in silence, going backward as they retire.

  Mansfield, O.
• #234

  Young girls on going to bed at night place their shoes at right angles to one another, in the form of the letter T, repeating this rhyme:—

  Hoping this night my true love to see,
  I place my shoes in the form of a T.

  Northern Ohio.
• #242

  Put pieces of paper, each bearing one letter of the alphabet, in water face down, and then place them under the bed. Those turned up in the morning are the initials of your future husband.

  Prince Edward Island and Northern Ohio.
• #244

  Write two names (of possible lovers), cross out the common letters. Touch the uncrossed letters, repeating in turn, “Love, friendship, hate,” and the last uncrossed letter will indicate the state of the heart.

  Prince Edward Island, St. John, N. B., and Northern Ohio.
• #250

  If a piece of brush or brier sticks to the dress, name it. If it drops, the lover is false; if it sticks, he is true.

  Northern Ohio.
• #261

  Pluck three thistles in bloom, cut off the purple part and put the remainder of the flower in water over night, after naming. The one that blooms out over night you will marry.

  St. John, N. B., and Northern Ohio.
• #301

  Throw a ball of yarn into an unoccupied house, and holding the end of the yarn, wind, saying, “I wind and who holds?” The one who is to be your future wife or husband will be seen in the house.

  Ohio.
• #351

  Happy is the bride that the sun shines on.

  Northern Ohio.
• #370

  If a girl finds a cobweb in the door, it is a sign that her beau calls elsewhere.

  Northern Ohio.
• #403

  If you have good success in building a fire, you will have a smart husband; if bad success, a lazy husband.

  St. John, N. B., and Ohio.
• #425

  A girl that takes her thimble to the table will be an old maid.

  Northern Ohio.
• #433

  Wish upon a candle on blowing it out. If it glows long, you will get your wish. If it smokes, it signifies a death.

  Ohio.
• #434

  If a speck of carbon comes on the wick when burning, and you wish for something, wet your finger and touch the speck. If it sticks to your finger, you will get the wish, and vice versa.

  Plymouth, O.
• #435

  Swallow a chicken’s heart whole and make a wish. It will come true.

  Pennsylvania and Ohio.
• #453

  Let two persons break the wishing-bone of a fowl; the one who gets the longest piece will get his wish.

  New Jersey and Ohio.
• #457

  Put a ring on the finger of another person, saying, “I wish it on until such a time,” and if it is not removed before the expiration of the period named, the wish will come to pass.

  Connecticut and Ohio.
• #461

  Capture a floating thistledown, breathe on it, make a wish to see or hear from an absent friend, blow in his or her supposed direction, and it will carry your message.

  Ohio.
• #473

  To dream of lice means sickness in the family.

  Ohio.
• #507

  To dream of seeing fresh earth bodes misfortune.

  Northern Ohio.
• #548

  It is death or bad luck to dream of teeth falling out.

  Newfoundland and Northern Ohio.
• #576

  To dream of

  Fruit out of season,
  Trouble without reason.

  Northern Ohio.
• #624

  If you put a garment on wrong side out, or a hat on wrong end before, spit on it before turning, to prevent bad luck.

  Maine and Ohio.
• #626

  To clothe the left foot before the right one is a sign of misfortune.

  Ohio.
• #630

  When putting on your shoes and stockings, if you complete dressing one foot before beginning to dress the other, it is a sign you will be disappointed.

  Northern Ohio.
• #645

  Spilling salt is unlucky; throw some over your left shoulder, or burn a pinch to avert ill luck.

  Northern Ohio.
• #686

  In getting out of bed in the morning, the right foot is always to be placed first.

  Ohio.
• #698

  To turn a loaf of bread upside down is ill luck.

  Northern Ohio.
• #723

  If your initials spell a word, it means that you will be rich.

  Massachusetts and Ohio.
• #750

  If you go in at one door and out at another, it is a sign of company.

  New York and Ohio.
• #770

  If an extra plate be accidentally placed upon the table, some visitor will come hungry.

  Northern Ohio.
• #790

  Water spilled on the doorstep means a stranger.

  Ohio.
• #798

  Gold beads worn about the throat were thought to cure or or prevent goître.

  Northern Ohio.
• #844

  It is believed that “piercing the ear” will cure weak eyes or strengthen the eyes. It is often done to children for this purpose.

  Northern Ohio.
• #849

  To cure hiccoughs, slowly take nine sips of water.

  Prince Edward Island and Northern Ohio.
• #850

  Another cure for hiccoughs is as follows: Put the thumb up against the lower lip, with the fingers under the chin, and say, “hiccup, hiccup, over my thumb,” nine times.

  Northern Ohio.
• #859

  You can keep from crying as you peel onions if you keep the mouth closed.

  Northern Ohio.
• #871

  To burn the “little nerve” in the ear will cure the toothache forever.

  Northern Ohio.
• #892

  The milky juice of the Euphorbia hypericifolia (and other small prostrate Euphorbias) is thought to be a sure cure for warts.

  Northern Ohio.
• #896

  The milky juice of the Osage orange is used as a wart-cure.

  Southern Ohio.
• #928

  Warts are cured by tying a knot in a string for every wart, and putting under the eaves of the house. The warts go as the string rots.

  Ohio.
• #929

  Warts may be cured by applying to them water standing in the hollow of an oaken stump.

  Boxford, Mass., and Ohio.
• #965

  If it rain before seven
  It will quit before eleven.

  Prince Edward Island and, Maine, Massachusetts, and Northern Ohio.
• #966

  If a storm clears off in the night, pleasant weather will last but a few hours.

  Northern Ohio.
• #967

  In uncertain or threatening weather it is said that if you can see a piece of blue sky big enough to make a pair of breeches, it will clear off.

  Maine, Massachusetts, and Northern Ohio.
• #977

  Rain falling while the sun is shining indicates more showers.

  Prince Edward Island and Northern Ohio.
• #982

  Evening red and morning gray
  Will speed the traveler on his way.
  Evening gray and morning red
  Will bring the rain upon his head.

  Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio.
• #991

  Should the new moon lie on its back, it is a sign it will be dry that month, for the moon would hold water. The Indian says the hunter can hang his powder-horn upon it. But should the new moon stand vertically, it will be a wet month, for the moon will not hold water, and the powder-horn will slip off. Very many, however, reverse these signs.

  New England, New York, and Ohio.
• #1006

  When you blow out the candle, if the fire on the wick burns bright, it means a fair day on the morrow; if it dies down on being blown out, it indicates a rainy day.

  Plymouth, O.
• #1052

  If a cloud looks as if it had been picked by a hen,
  Get ready to reef your topsails then.

  Mansfield, O.
• #1080

  Repeat, looking at the new moon the first time you see it,—

  New moon, true moon, tell unto, me
  Who my true love is to be;
  The color of his hair, the clothes he is to wear,
  And when he’ll be married to me.

  Mansfield, O.
• #1123

  Plant potatoes “in the dark of the moon,” so the potatoes will root and yield well.

  Mansfield, O.
• #1125

  Shingle the roof in the decrease of the moon, so the shingles will lie flat (“go down”). Else they may warp and rise up.

  Mansfield, O.
• #1135

  Clean the spring or well during the increase of the moon, so the water will run in and fill the spring after it is emptied.

  Mansfield, O.
• #1138

  Do not marry or move during the wane (decrease) of the moon.

  Mansfield, O.
• #1141

  To make good bread, stir it with the sun. To make good yeast, make it as near sunrise as possible.

  Northern Ohio.
• #1153

  To rub for “sweeney.” Rub the diseased part of the horse’s shoulder with a corn-cob with the sun every third morning.

  Northern Ohio.
• #1154

  Rub a corn, a wen, etc., with the sun if by day, with the moon if by night. The sun or moon will draw all the pain away. Related by a Pennsylvania German.

  Northern Ohio.
• #1155

  To cure a curb in a horse, rub it with a bone, at the going down of the sun.

  Plymouth, O.
• #1160

  If a hoe be carried through a house, some one will die before the year is out.

  Mansfield, O.
• #1163

  Death is foretold by the ringing of a bell that cannot otherwise be accounted for.

  Southern Ohio.
• #1164

  When bread, in baking, cracks across the top, it means death.

  New Jersey and Ohio.
• #1166

  When bright red specks resembling spattered blood appear on linen, it is held to be a token of misfortune, probably of death.

  Northern Ohio.
• #1192

  If anyone comes to a funeral after the procession starts, another death will occur in the same house.

  Ohio.
• #1195

  If it rains during a burial, another member of the family will soon follow.

  Poland, Me., Baldwinsville, N. Y., Ohio, and Alabama.
• #1214

  Ringing in the ears means death before the week ends. Of this ringing the term “death-bell” is used. It may be said by a country woman: “Oh! I have heard a death-bell!” or, “What a death-bell in my ear! You will hear of a death before the week is out.” In case of a sudden death, such a person might say: “I am not surprised; I heard a death-bell on such a day.”

  Northern Ohio.
• #1219

  Beginning on Saturday a garment that cannot be finished means death.

  Ohio.
• #1228

  When sowing grain, if a strip of land is missed there will be a death inside of a year.

  Ohio and Maryland.
• #1234

  Three chairs placed accidentally in a row mean death.

  Ohio.
• #1243

  Country people turn the mirror to face the wall while one lies dead in the house.

  Northern Ohio.
• #1274

  To get out of bed on the wrong side puts one out all day. “He got out of bed with the wrong foot foremost” is said of a person who has a fit of crossness.

  Northern Ohio.
• #1278

  If you break something, you will break two other things.

  Maine, Massachusetts, and Northern Ohio.
• #1291

  If you comb your hair after dark, it will make you forgetful.

  Northern Ohio.
• #1294

  Wash and wipe together,
  Live in peace together.

  Northern Ohio.
• #1306

  One who habitually bites the nails is ill-natured.

  Ohio.
• #1315

  If you sing before you eat,
  You’ll cry before you sleep.

  Ohio and Iowa.
• #1318

  Little birds that sing in the morning
  The old cat will catch before night.

  Accustomed to be said to children when they were especially hilarious in the early morning.

  Northern Ohio.
• #1324

  In going anywhere, if you strike the right foot you will be welcome wherever you may be going, and if the same happens to the left foot, you will be on strange ground.

  Bellville, O.
• #1328

  If, in going visiting, you stub the right toe, you are welcome; if the left, you are unwelcome.

  Massachusetts and Ohio.
• #1337

  A whistling girl and a laughing sheep,
  Are the very best property a man can keep.

  Northern Ohio.
• #1351

  If you look at one who has inflamed eyes, you’ll catch the disease.

  Maine and Ohio.
• #1375

  A lump on the tongue means that you have told a lie.

  Prince Edward Island, New York, and Northern Ohio.
• #1380

  Basting threads left in a garment signify that it is not yet paid for.

  Massachusetts and Ohio.
• #1385

  In dressing for a journey, if you wish to have good luck, dress the right foot first.

  Belleville, Ohio.
• #1402

  Halloween cabbages are pulled and thrown against the owner’s door as a reminder of his laziness.

  Southern Pennsylvania and Ohio.
• #1410

  “Manners dish” is the dish put on for show, and not expected to be eaten.

  Northern Ohio.
• #1442

  The letter in the candle will face the one for whom the letter is to be. If the little snuff bud is bright, it means a letter.

  Northern Ohio.
• #1449

  If you begin keeping house with many in the family, it is a sign that you will always have a large family or houseful.

  Ohio.
• #1465

  If, when a newly-married couple go to housekeeping, she slyly takes her mother’s dish-cloth or dish-wiper, she will never be homesick. Old Mrs. —— told me that she believed that was the reason she was not homesick when they moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio.

  Ohio.