| 释义 |
fossick, v. Austral.|ˈfɒsɪk|
[app. of Eng. dial. origin; cf. ‘Fossick, a troublesome person, fossiking, troublesome. Warw.’ (Halliwell).]
1. intr. in Mining. To search for gold by digging out crevices with knife or pick, or by working in washing-places and abandoned workings in the hope of finding particles or small nuggets overlooked by others. Also, to fossick about.
1852W. H. Hall Diggings Victoria 16 (Morris) Fossicking (picking out the nuggets from the interstices of the slate formation) with knives and trowels. 1855Clarke Dict., Fossick, to undermine a man's gold-digging. 1864Rogers New Rush i. 18 We'll fossick wherever we think there is gold. 1874A. Bathgate Colonial Experiences xi. 138 [These unsocial miners], so long as they can make a living by ‘fossicking’ about, are happy. 1886M. Kershaw in Spectator 4 Dec. 1630 When a Chinaman fossicks about for gold or tin.
2. gen. To rummage or hunt about; to search.
1887Illustr. Lond. News 12 Mar. 282/3 ‘Fossicking’ among books and memoranda I came upon an..example. 1889Boldrewood Robbery under Arms (1890) 165 We fossicked about for a while to see if the man..had left anything behind him. 1890Melbourne Argus 2 Aug. 4/3 Half the time was spent in fossicking for sticks. 1938F. S. Anthony in D. M. Davin N.Z. Short Stories (1953) 213 Why not bung about ten cows each up there and let them fossick for tucker in the bush. 1956E. Hiscock Around World in Wanderer III xiii. 180 A place where people go to fossick, i.e. to gather shells and coral at low water on the reef. 1968Times 11 Sept. 11/5 Unpaved backstreets..where old crones fossicked.
3. trans. To dig out, to hunt up (something).
1857C. R. Thatcher Goldrush Songster (1958) 77 Next morning I well fossicked it. a1870Lemaitre Songs of Gold Fields 14 He ran from the flat..Without waiting to fossick the coffin lid out. 1893J. A. Barry Steve Brown's Bunyip 8 I'll have to fossick up them mokes, Mariar.
Hence ˈfossicking vbl. n. and ppl. a. Also ˈfossicker, one who fossicks, esp. a pocket-miner or a prospector for gold.
1853E. Clacy Lady's Visit Gold Diggings Austral. vii. 123 William was the one whose fossicking-knife first brought its hidden beauties to light. 1859Cornwallis New World I. 130 A plain leather belt, in which he..carries his fossicking knife. 1864Rogers New Rush ii. 32 Steady old fossickers often get more Than the first who opens ground. 1880Sutherland Tales Goldf. 22 He commenced working..at surface digging and fossicking. 1891Melbourne Argus 25 July 13/2 One could wish that all irrigationists would take the view that most of the native birds, and above all the swamp fossickers, are not merely friends but allies. 1916J. B. Cooper Coo-oo-ee xiv. 213 All the same, I don't think Hawley got much colour for all his ‘fossickin’. 1936F. Clune Roaming round Darling xxv. 273 Gorrie..had given up cooking and taken to fossicking, as a mate of his found a gold nugget on Christmas Eve worth {pstlg}130. 1970K. Giles Death in Church iv. 77 No suspicion of illegal fossicking or buying. |