Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Come Polyfox with Me


Last week, my mother accused me of polyfoxing around. I've heard this term all of my life, so I decided to google it. The one reference that I found likened polyfoxing to folk medicine.

from Sarah Marsden Greene's thesis, "Non-Timber Forest Products Marketing Systems and Market Players in Southwest Virginia: A Case Study of Craft, Medicinal and Herbal, Specialty Wood, and Edible Forest Products" at:

http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-1698-13636/unrestricted/ch7.pdf


"
Folk medicine is also called “polyfoxing”, a term brought to Appalachia by the Scots and English in the late 1800s (Cavender 1995). During springtime after plants had budded, polyfoxers prepared a tonic which was believed to be beneficial for everyone. The polyfoxer spent two to three weeks gathering materials from the forest, washing and drying them, and extracting and mixing the juices. "

The above reference from 1989 and names for a daylily is all that I have found.

How is it that this term that means goofing off and/or screwing around has been lost? Have you ever heard of it? Or has its use been limited to my mother's family for the last 40 years?

Wanna go polyfoxin' around with us Saturday night? You can run through the Boobie Tube!

31 comments:

Dr Zibbs said...

Why don't you come Polyfox over at my blog because I'd like your opinion about a nudity post I just wrote.

And all of Real Life Lesbian Readers are invited over as well. It's a nude fest!

And to answer your question, I've never heard that word.

lynette355 said...

New one on me, but my husband does Rat Killing as a term for cleaning house.

Unknown said...

never heard of it! and i know a lot of old words...

~*Jobthingy*~ said...

i have never heard it either..

but i will call my mom later and ask her.

Unknown said...

Nope, that is one I have heard before. My mom used to tell us to "rid up" and the first time I say it around people here in the south, they have no idea what I'm talking about.

Unknown said...

Just read your Boobie Tube post. Freaking funny! I LOVE when people can have fun like that, and that guy is an idiot. Do they have to go THERE all the time?

Queen-Size funny bone said...

I think its inside the family lingo.

Brad said...

That's a new one on me ut I like the word - I'd do anything to be in your boobie tube!

Lori D said...

I guess people who don't believe I have the flu could accuse me of polyfoxing, but they'd be wrong.

I'd polyfox with you over hot and sour soup anyday though!

meno said...

I thought it was a term to describe a fox with an alternate lifestyle!

SkylersDad said...

Soooo, when me and my buddies used to go hunt 'shrooms, we were actually polyfoxing?

Gary's third pottery blog said...

I see that you have posted something? I jump and click it. That is, though, a new term for me, now let's see what the boobie tube is...

Lori said...

I have never heard it but I like it!

Gina said...

Never heard of it, but I'll be using it now!

KellyKline said...

I've never heard of polyfoxing. My mom used to tell me to quit "fiddle-fartin'" around.

Once I told her I didn't know how to fiddle.

Once.

Jay said...

I've never heard that phrase used either. My mother said she hasn't ever heard of it either. And she's heard all of those Southern sayings. Well, almost all of them anyway. haha

Lu' said...

I have never heard it, never never never, well until now that is :) Hmm polyfoxing in a boobie tube, if that doesn't sound like an E ticket at the amusement park then I don't know what does.

Vinny "Bond" Marini said...

Never heard that phrase in my life...

Anonymous said...

sounds like one I made up, as is often my want!

Travis Cody said...

I've never heard that term before. I guess maybe it's regional.

Scarlet said...

Sounds excitingly dangerous.

Thom - - Dr. John said...

Put me in the category of "Never heard of it".

Dana said...

Never ... not even in my cross country travels (which included a brief stop in Georgia). But I have been called a Whirling Dervish ... does that count?

I want to play in the Boobie Tube *whines while stomping feet*

Awake In Rochester said...

Hello Libra lesbian,

No, I have never heard of that before. Foxy yes, but not Playfoxing.

Lori Stewart Weidert said...

Is it anything like Lollygagging? My dad was always on my case to stop lollygaggin'...and never knew what that was.

Anonymous said...

Ya got me.
Never heard it before.

Stacey said...

It's true!!! You learn something new everyday!!!

Jormengrund said...

Heh..

Never let it be said that you can't learn something new each and every day..

With that, head over to my spot, and claim your award there RLL!

Christie said...

My grandfather is like an encyclopedia for that kind of jargon, and I've never heard it. But some of the stuff he says has me scratching my head in wonder. Who came up with that stuff?

nitebyrd said...

Never heard the term before but I like it. Sounds a wee bit dirty! ;)

Paul said...

I was just in Kentucky and heard this term for the first time. It means you were out whoring around.