520. Dream of flame out of season,You will be angry without a reason.
520. Dream of flame out of season,You will be angry without a reason.
521. If you dream about a large blaze of fire, you will get some money unexpectedly.
Alabama.
522. Dreaming of smoke indicates trouble.
Alabama.
523. To dream of smoke means death.
Wisconsin.
HUMAN BEINGS.
524. To dream of a baby is a sign of death.
525. To dream of babies is unlucky or is a sign of trouble.
General in the United States.
526. To dream of carrying a child is unlucky.
527. It is bad luck or death to dream of naked clinging (climbing?) children.
Labrador and Newfoundland.
528. It is ill luck to dream of a priest.
Central Maine.
529. If you dream of a negro, you will surely quarrel.
530. If you dream of being kissed by or being very intimate with a woman friend, it means a disagreement.
531. If you dream of a person of the opposite sex three nights in succession, you are sure to marry him.
Alabama.
532. If you dream of a gentleman, you will never marry him.
Bedford, Mass.
533. If you dream of a person as going two ways at once, it is a sign the person dreamed of will die before the year is out.
Boston, Mass.
534. To dream of a naked man is a sign of the death of a woman, andvice versa.
Baltimore, Md. (negro).
535. To dream of a drunken husband or man is unlucky.
Labrador.
536. To dream of men is lucky.
Newfoundland.
537. To dream of women is unlucky.
Bay Roberts, N. F.
METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENA.
538. To dream of walking through snow means sickness.
St. John, N. B.
539. To dream of a snowstorm is a sign of the speedy death of a relative.
South Framingham, Mass.
540. To dream of snow in spring (May) is a sign of a good catch of fish.
Trinity Bay, N. F.
541. If a fisherman dreams of its raining, it is a sign of a good catch of fish.
Green Harbor, N. F.
542. Anything dreamed “on the east wind,”i. e., when the east wind is blowing, will come true.
Chestertown, Md. (negro).
MONEY AND METALS.
543. To dream of silver money is a sign of sickness.
544. To dream of small change (money) is bad luck.
Newfoundland.
545. To dream of gold or silver is good luck; of paper is bad.
Boston, Mass.
546. If you dream of gold, it is a sign of an increase of property.
Alabama.
TEETH.
547. To dream of teeth is unlucky.
Eastern Massachusetts.
548. It is death or bad luck to dream of teeth falling out.
Newfoundland and Northern Ohio.
549. To dream of losing a tooth means a death.
Nova Scotia and Cape Breton.
550. To dream of pulling out your teeth means sickness.
Eastern Massachusetts.
551. To dream of losing a tooth means losing a friend.
Virginia.
552. If you dream of having a front tooth drop out, you will lose a near relative within a year. If a back tooth, a distant relative.
WATER.
553. To dream of smooth water means good luck; of rough water means ill luck.
St. John, N. B.
554. Dreaming of running water means approaching death to the dreamer or some near relative.
555. To dream of clear, sparkling water means good luck.
Miramichi, N. B.
556. To dream of milky or roily water means death or disaster.
Miramichi, N. B.
557. To dream of seeing muddy water signifies that you will have trouble.
Alabama.
558. To dream of clear water means prosperity; of muddy water means trouble.
Boston, Mass.
559. To dream of washing is a sign of a move.
Cape Breton and Wisconsin.
WEDDINGS AND FUNERALS.
560. To dream of marriage is a sign of a funeral.
Topsail and Carbonear, Trinity Bay, N. F.
561. If you dream of a marriage, it is the sign of a death; and if you dream of a death, it is the sign of a marriage.
Alabama.
562. If you dream of a marriage, you will hear of a death next day.
Talladega, Ala.
563. If you dream of a wedding, you will hear of the death of a friend in that month.
Pennsylvania.
564. To dream of a wedding means death.
Mifflintown, Pa.
565. Dream on a piece of wedding cake. Write names on slips of paper and pull them out. The one you pull twice is the one you will marry.
Massachusetts.
566. Sleep on a piece of wedding cake, and the one you dream about will be your future partner in life.
New Brunswick.
567. Sleep on a piece of wedding cake, and if you have the same dream three nights in succession, your dream will come to pass.
New York.
568. To dream of a funeral means a wedding.
MISCELLANEOUS.
569. To dream of raw meat is a sign of ill luck.
570. To dream of eating meat is a sign of sickness.
Boston.
571. To see while asleep fresh meats of any kind is a warning of death.
Alabama.
572. To dream of blood is a sign of sickness.
Alabama.
573. To dream of blood is a sign that some one will “scandalize” you.
Baltimore, Md. (negro).
574. To dream of onions is good.
575. To dream of flowers is a sign of sickness.
Alabama.
576. To dream of
Fruit out of season,Trouble without reason.Northern Ohio.
Fruit out of season,Trouble without reason.Northern Ohio.
577. To dream of cherries is evil.
578. To dream of an anchor means good luck.
St. John, N. B.
579. To dream on land of a vessel (with sails set?) is a sign of a funeral.
Labrador and Trinity Bay, N. F.
580. To dream of small beads or sewing silk is lucky.
Labrador.
581. What you dream the first night you are in a strange house will come true.
General in the United States.
582. If you dream the first night you are in a strange bed, your dream will come true. If the dream was of a sweetheart, you will be married.
Trinity Bay and Bay Roberts, N. F.
583. To dream of losing the sole of your shoe indicates the death of a near friend.
Cape Breton.
584. To dream of seeing any one wear worn-out shoes means the death of a near relative.
Cape Breton.
585. To dream of a hole worn in a boot is a sign of being sick.
Newfoundland.
586. To dream of bad boots is unlucky.
Newfoundland.
587. Saturday night’s dream, Sunday morning told,Will come to pass before it’s a week old.Maine and Massachusetts.
587. Saturday night’s dream, Sunday morning told,Will come to pass before it’s a week old.Maine and Massachusetts.
588. Saturday night dreamt,Sunday morning told,Sure to come trueBefore a month old.Eastern Massachusetts.
588. Saturday night dreamt,Sunday morning told,Sure to come trueBefore a month old.Eastern Massachusetts.
589. Relate the dream before breakfast, and it will come true.
General in the United States.
590. If you dream the same thing three times, it will come true.
591. Dreaming of handling new-made boards is a sign of a coffin. (A carpenter’s notion.)
Heart’s Content, N. F.
592. If you dream of seeing a boat drawn or sailing on land, it is a sign of death.
Cape Breton.
593. If you dream that you see an empty coffin, you will see it filled within a year.
594. To dream of dough in a bread pan is the sign of a coffin.
New Brunswick.
595. To dream of dough in a black pan is a sign of a corpse.
Miramichi, N.B.
596. To dream of bread is good luck.
Boston, Mass.
597. To dream of going in a carriage means you’ll travel with a friend.
Cape Breton.
598. Pick up a stone in a strange place and put it under the pillow for three nights. If you dream, it will come true.
Newfoundland.
599. To dream of being in a new house is a sign of death.
Harbor Grace, N. F.
600. Place the heel of one shoe against the instep of the other three nights in a row, and you will dream of your future husband.
Franklin, Mass.
601. To dream that your sweetheart has the ague means that he loves you.
602. To dream you are a fool is good luck and increase of wealth.
603. Dreaming of persons being sick is a sign of being well.
Newfoundland and New Hampshire.
604. To dream of a death is a sign of life.
605. To dream of the devil is a sign of good luck.
Trinity Bay, N. F.
606. To dream you cry means you will laugh.
Boston, Mass.
607. Dreams go by contraries.
General in the United States.
LUCK.
CARDS.
608. At cards, if your luck is poor, walk round your chair three times, lift it, sit down, and your luck is assured.
General in the United States.
609. At cards, it is bad luck to play against the grain of the table.
General in the United States.
610. At cards, it is unlucky to turn up your hand before the dealer is through.
Alabama.
611. At cards, it is common to blow on the deal, without looking at it, for good luck.
Providence, R. I., and Salem, Mass.
DAYS.
612. It is unlucky to travel on Friday.
New York and Pennsylvania.
613. Never begin a piece of work on Friday; it is bad luck.
General in the United States.
614. Seafaring men will not sail on Friday.
Somewhat general in the United States.
615. If you begin a piece of work on Friday, it will be a very short or a very long job.
St. John, N. B.
616. It is bad luck to cut your finger-nails on Friday.
Pigeon Cove, Mass.
617. As with the superstitious generally, Friday is a very unlucky day. Housekeepers will prefer paying a quarter’s rent extra to going into a house on that day. It is, of course, most unlucky to be married on it. Wednesday is the day considered most favorable for the purpose.
Newfoundland.
618. If you cut your nails on Sunday, you’ll do something you’re ashamed of before the week is out.
Maine.
619. If business is transacted on Sunday, you will lose by it on the coming week.
New York.
620. Pancake Day is Shrove Tuesday. If you do not eat pancakes on that day, you will have no luck throughout the year. The hens won’t lay, etc.
Chestertown, Md.
621. When the two figures that tell one’s age are alike, as 22, 33, etc., some great change in life is to be expected.
Nashua, N. H.
DRESSING.
622. If you put on any garment wrong side out, as, for example, a pair of stockings, never change it, as to do so brings ill luck. This direction is intuitively followed by many people who are entirely free from conscious superstition.
General in the United States.
623. If you put a garment on wrong side out, you mustn’t speak of it, or you will have bad luck.
Maine.
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.
625. If a garment is put on wrong side out, it is lucky, but unlucky to turn it.
Prince Edward Island and Massachusetts.
626. To clothe the left foot before the right one is a sign of misfortune.
Ohio.
627. If you button up your dress wrong,i. e., do not begin with the button and button-hole opposite each other, it means bad luck, or good luck if worn uneven until after sunset.
Cape Breton.
628. The putting of the left shoe on the right foot, lacing it wrong, or losing a button, are all bad signs.
Alabama.
629. Walking across the room with one shoe off is a sign of ill luck.
Alabama.
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.
HORSESHOES.
631. It is good luck to find a horseshoe.
General in the United States and Canada.
632. The luck is especially good if the loop end is towards you, that is, if you meet it.
Miramichi, N. B.
633. If you find horseshoes and pick them up, you will have a horse.
634. The more nails in the horseshoe, the more luck.
Western Pennsylvania.
635. To find a horseshoe nail is good luck, especially if the head is towards you.
Miramichi, N. B.
636. If horseshoes are put up over a house for luck, the points should not be placed downwards, or the luck will slip through.
PINS.
637. See a pin and pick it up,All the day you’ll have good luck;See a pin and pass it by (or “let it lie”),All the day your luck will fly.Eastern Massachusetts.
637. See a pin and pick it up,All the day you’ll have good luck;See a pin and pass it by (or “let it lie”),All the day your luck will fly.Eastern Massachusetts.
638. See a pin and pick it up,All the day you’ll have good luck;See a pin and let it lie,Come to sorrow by and by.New York.
638. See a pin and pick it up,All the day you’ll have good luck;See a pin and let it lie,Come to sorrow by and by.New York.
639. See a pin and pick it up for luck. If the head is towards you, the luck is slow in coming; if the point is towards you, the luck is quick and sharp.
Boston, Mass.
640. If you see a pin crosswise, that is, across your path, it means a ride if you pick it up.
Boston, Mass.
641. “I have known a young lady form a habit of stooping in consequence of keeping the eyes fixed on the ground, in the streets of New York city, in order not to miss the good fortune that might come of picking up a pin. The pin must be thrust into a tree or post, in order to keep the luck as long as it remains fast.”
New York, N. Y.
642. Find a pin and let it lie,You’ll want a pin before you die.Alabama.
642. Find a pin and let it lie,You’ll want a pin before you die.Alabama.
643. See a pin and let it lie,You’ll want that pin before you die.Peabody, Mass.
643. See a pin and let it lie,You’ll want that pin before you die.Peabody, Mass.
SALT.
644. It is unlucky to pass salt across the table.
645. Spilling salt is unlucky; throw some over your left shoulder, or burn a pinch to avert ill luck.
Northern Ohio.
646. It is bad luck to spill salt unless it is burned.
Virginia.
647. If you spill salt, throw some over your left shoulder, and then crawl under one side of the table and come out on the other, to prevent bad luck.
Bucks Co., Pa.
648. Spilling salt at table is ill luck to the one towards whom it is spilled.
Iowa.
649. If you spill salt, you will have a whipping.
New England and Canada.
SWEEPING.
650. If the broom is moved with the rest of the household furniture, you will not be successful. The broom should be burned while standing in the corner, being watched meanwhile, to prevent the house from taking fire.
651. Never sweep the floor after sunset; it is bad luck.
Alabama.
652. Carrying ashes out of the house after sunset is bad luck.
Virginia.
653. It is ill luck to sweep dirt out of doors after sunset.
Virginia.
654. Dirt must not be swept out of doors after dark, or it will bring disaster to the master of the house. This belief is common among negroes and superstitious whites.
Chestertown, Md.
655. Sailors are unwilling that their friends should sweep after dark, because in that case their wages will be swept away by sickness or otherwise.
Westport, Mass.
TURNING BACK.
656. It is unlucky to turn back for anything after you have set out to go anywhere.
Prince Edward Island.
657. Returning to the house for something and starting again without sitting down is bad luck.
Virginia.
658. It will prove unlucky if you return for a forgotten article after you have left the house; but if you seat yourself before leaving the house again, the misfortune will be averted.
New York.
659. To avert ill luck or disappointment that will come if a person comes back to a house for something forgotten, he must sit down a minute.
General in New England.
660. To go back into the house for something after starting on a journey is unpropitious. To have it brought out is all right.
Iowa.
661. If you have to go back to the house after something forgotten, you must not sit down, but stand a moment or two, or else it is bad luck.
Cape Breton.
662. If you start anywhere and go back, it is bad luck unless you make a cross-mark and spit in it.
Alabama and Kentucky.
MISCELLANEOUS.
663. If two persons shake hands across the gate, they are bringing on themselves ill luck.
Alabama.
664. It is unlucky to pass under a ladder.
Canada.
665. Go under a ladder and you will be hanged.
666. Walking under a ladder is considered very unlucky. In the outposts girls will climb the rockiest cliffs to avoid such a contingency. On one occasion in St. John’s, where a ladder extended across the sidewalk, of one hundred and twenty-seven girls who came along, only six ventured under it, the rest going along the gutter in mud ankle deep.
Newfoundland.
667. If, in passing, one parts two people, it is a sign of disappointment to the parter.
668. When two or three people go between different posts, in the entrance of gardens, cemeteries, etc., it is a sign they will be separated or disappointed.
General in the United States.
669. Sing on the street,Disappointment you’ll meet.
669. Sing on the street,Disappointment you’ll meet.
670. To count the steps of stairs, as you lie on your back, indicates the number of your troubles.
671. To fall upstairs means good luck; downstairs, ill luck.
Massachusetts.
672. To stumble downstairs, or on going out in the morning, means bad luck.
Peabody, Mass.
673. Opals are unlucky.
General in the United States.
674. The opal is unlucky, unless set with diamonds.
New York.
675. Don’t let the tea-kettle boil so as to make a bubbling or thumping noise, as some say it is unlucky.
Eastern Massachusetts.
676. A tea-kettle boiling so as to make a bubbling sound is said to boil away luck, and should be removed from the flame.
Eastern Massachusetts.
677. Never let your dish-water come to a boil, as every bubble means bad luck to the family.
Eastern Massachusetts.
678. Sewing in the twilight is an ill omen.
Chatham, N. H.
679. To look over another person’s shoulder into a looking-glass means disappointment.
Deer Isle, Me.
680. When going fishing, fishermen wear white mittens for luck.
Portsmouth, N. H.
681. It is unlucky to lose a glove.
Bathurst, N. B.
682. It is bad luck to have any one step across the fishing-pole; you will catch no fish.
Talladega, Ala.
683. Crawl under a fence, and you will have bad luck.
WesternMasssachusetts.
684. To step over the feet of any one who is sitting is ill luck.
685. Getting out of bed with the left foot first, or taking anything with the left hand when the right is disengaged, is a sign of bad luck.
Alabama.
686. In getting out of bed in the morning, the right foot is always to be placed first.
Ohio.
687. To get out of bed left foot first makes one cross. “He got out of bed left foot first,” is a universal saying.
688. In going in at the house door, always put the right foot foremost. This practice is observed by many intelligent people.
689. To sing at the table is a sign you will be disappointed.
690. It is an ill omen to leave the table while eating, to light the lamp.
Western Massachusetts.
691. To lay the knife and fork crosswise is ill luck.
Peabody, Mass.
692. When you drop a knife or fork, and it sticks up in the floor, you will have good luck.
693. It is lucky to find a rusty knife or other steel instrument.
Maine.
694. If a knife be spun round, care should be taken to spin it back again, otherwise it insures bad luck.
695. Often verses of Proverbs xxxi. are assigned to girls and boys respectively according to the day of the month of the birth.
Labrador and Brookline, Mass.
696. It brings bad luck to the bearer of a ring to have it taken from her finger by another person.
Massachusetts.
697. Measuring one’s waist, as for a dress, will bring ill luck.
698. To turn a loaf of bread upside down is ill luck.
Northern Ohio.
699. To find a four-leaved clover is lucky; but five-leaved, unlucky.
General in the United States.
700. When a vessel is launched, break a bottle of wine over her for luck. The bottle is to be broken by a lady.
General in the United States.
701. Never carry clean wet clothes from one house to another, as it will bring ill luck.
Chestertown, Md.
702. Do not go into your new house by the back door; if you do you take disaster with you.
703. Never build on a spot where a house has been burned. The second house is likely to go in the same manner.
Maine and Massachusetts.
704. Light coming in at the window is a bad sign.
Peabody, Mass.
705. The opening of an umbrella in the house is a sign of bad luck.
General in the United States.
706. If you drop your umbrella, you will have ill luck if you pick it up yourself; but the ill luck may be averted by having some one else pick it up.
Prince Edward Island.
707. To carry a hoe through the house is ill luck.
Alabama.
708. To light three lights with one match is good luck for a week.
Peabody, Mass.
709. The falling of a chandelier foretells a disaster in the family.
New York.
710. Breaking a looking-glass shows that you’ll have seven years of ill luck.
General in the United States.
711. If a chair be turned about on one of its forelegs, there will be bad luck in the house all that year.
Talladega, Ala.
712. A mare-browed man, that is, one whose eyebrows meet, is unlucky and can cast spells.
Newfoundland.
713. It is unlucky, when going deer-hunting, to meet a red-haired man.
Newfoundland.
MONEY.
714. A group of bubbles on a cup of coffee signifies money.
United States.
715. A mass of bubbles floating on a cup of coffee signifies that money is coming to one. If he can take up the bubbles on his spoon, it indicates that he will get the money, but if they escape he will not.
Prince Edward Island.
716. If a group of bubbles are floating on the tea or coffee cup, take them up in a spoon, and swallow them unbroken, saying, “Save my money.”
Plymouth and Salem, Mass., and New Brunswick.
717. If when you stir your coffee at breakfast you will try to catch the bubbles on top, you can have as many dollars as you can catch whole ones.
Alabama.
718. To find money and keep it insures good luck through the year.
Talladega, Ala.
719. Put the first piece of money you get in the morning into your stocking, and you will have more to add to it before night.
Alabama.
720. If you find a piece of money the first day of the year, you will have good luck all the rest of the year.
Alabama.
721. If paper money is folded lengthwise first, it will insure the possession of money. If folded the short fold first, money will not remain in the pocket.
Alabama.
722. To make a sale in the first place where an agent calls is good luck. For example, a magnifying-glass worth three dollars was sold for seventy-five cents, in order to stop a run of bad luck by making a sale.
Massachusetts.
723. If your initials spell a word, it means that you will be rich.
Massachusetts and Ohio.
724. If the right hand itches, it is a sign you will receive money; if the left, you will spend money, becauseRstands for receive, andLfor let go.
New York.
725. If the left hand itches and you rub it on wood, you’ll receive money before the end of the week.
Rub it on woodTo make it good.Very common in New Brunswick and New England.
Rub it on woodTo make it good.Very common in New Brunswick and New England.
726. Itching in the palm of the hand means that it will soon receive money. Clap the closed hand into the pocket.
Mt. Desert, Me.
727. If you place your money according to value,i. e., lay it in order, you will be rich.
Bedford, Mass.
728. An old superstition pertaining to clothing is, that before putting on new clothes a sum of money must be placed in the right-hand pocket, which will insure its always being full. If by mistake, however, it be put in the left hand pocket, the wearer will never have a penny so long as the clothes last.
729. There’s a “bag of money,” or a “pot of gold,” at the end of the rainbow.
General among children.
730. If you sew in the twilight, you will never be rich.
Miramichi, N. B.
731. If you mend or sew on a garment while wearing it, you will always be poor.
Bathurst, N. B.
732. Always shut the doors, or you will never own a house.
Salem, Mass.
733. Sparks in the soot on the back wall above a coal fire bring wealth.
Rhode Island.
734. Say “Money” three times at sight of a meteor, and you’ll get it, or wish and you’ll get it.
735. When you see a shooting star, say “money.” As many times as you are able to repeat the word during the fall of the star, so many dollars you will have in your pocket.
Connecticut.
VISITORS.
736. Having a piece of bread and taking another is a sign some one is coming hungry.
Maine, New York, and Pennsylvania.
737. If you drop a slice of bread with the buttered side up, it is a sign of a visitor.
Bathurst, N. B.
738. If a broom falls across the threshold, it means a visitor is coming.
Massachusetts.
739. Three chairs in a row is a sign of a caller.
Bedford, Mass.
740. Two chairs chancing to be placed back to back denote that a visitor is coming.
Danvers, Mass.
741. One chair in front of another means a stranger.
Peabody, Mass.
742. If you go around the chimney without sitting down, you will bring company to that house.
Guilford, Conn.
743. Company on Sunday means company all the week.
New England.
744. If you have company on Monday, you will have company every day in the week.
General in the United States.
745. If you drop the dish-cloth, it is a sign you will have company.
General in the United States.
746. If you almost drop a dish-cloth and catch it before it falls, it is a sign of a visitor.
Bathurst, N. B.
747. If you drop a dish-rag, some one is coming hungry.
Alabama.
748. If the dish-cloth on falling to the floor spreads out, the visitor will be a lady; if it falls in a heap, it will be a gentleman.
Cape Breton and Central Maine.
749. If you drop the tea-towel, it is a sign of company.
Pennsylvania.
750. If you go in at one door and out at another, it is a sign of company.
New York and Ohio.
751. Going out through one door of the house and in through another means a visit from agreeable company.
752. If you go in at one door and out of another of the house of a friend, a stranger will enter the house soon.
Central New Hampshire.
753. If you go in at the back (or front) door of a house, and out at the front (or back) without sitting down, you will bring company.
Guilford, Conn.
754. If you forget anything on your departure from a visit, you will go there again.
Eastern Massachusetts.
755. If the fork is dropped at the table, a man will call.
Pennsylvania.
756. 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.
757. Should you drop a knife or scissors so that they stick into the floor and stand up, it is a sign of company.
New York.
758. The dropping of any sharp-pointed instrument which sticks up in the floor, such as a knife, a pair of scissors, etc., foretells company coming from the direction in which the article leans.
Massachusetts.
759. If the scissors drops there will be visitors; if the small blade sticks in the floor it will be children; if the large, adults.
Nashua, N. H.
760. A needle dropping on the floor and sticking up means visitors.
St. John, N. B.
761. If a knife be dropped at table, a woman will call.
Pennsylvania.
762. If you drop a knife at table, a lady will come during the evening; if a fork, a gentleman is coming.
Talladega, Ala.
763. If you drop a knife, your visitor will be a woman; if a fork, it will be a man; if a spoon, it will be a fool.
Pennsylvania.
764. If you drop a knife, it is a sign a lady is coming to see you. If a fork, the visitor will be a man; if a spoon, your cousin.
New York.
765. Two knives beside a plate mean a lady stranger; two forks, a man.
Peabody, Mass.
766. To put two spoons in your teacup is a sign of a stranger.
Maine and Massachusetts.
767. Two forks or spoons crossed on a plate signify that a stranger is coming.
768. If you wash the sugar-bowl, you will have company.
Eastern Massachusetts.
769. To have too many plates on the table means guests.
770. If an extra plate be accidentally placed upon the table, some visitor will come hungry.
Northern Ohio.
771. If you are offered an article of food at the table, which you already have on your plate, but forgetting that you have it, take some more, it is a sign that a stranger is coming to your house before you eat another meal.
Quebec.
772. If stems of tea-grounds are found in the cup, it denotes that visitors are coming. If you wish them to come, bite the heads off and throw them under the table.
Deerfield, Mass.
773. If the stems of tea-grounds come on top of the cup, visitors are coming. Bite one, and if it is hard, it will be a man; if soft, a woman.
New Hampshire.
774. If successful in the attempt to take stems from your tea, a friend is going to visit you.
Alabama.
775. If a tea-stem is on top of the cup, put it in your shoe, and you will have company.
Massachusetts.
776. If a tea-stem floats in the tea, it is a sign you will have a visitor. If it is hard, it is a man; if it is soft, it is a woman. If it is long, the visitor will be tall; if short, the visitor will be short.
New York.
777. To learn about visitors from tea-grounds: Lift the leaf out and press it against the left hand, naming the days of the week.Upon whichever day the leaf chances to cling and rest, company may be expected. To complete the spell, pat the leaf down your neck and wish.
Plymouth, Mass.
778. If your eye quivers, a stranger is coming.
Labrador.
779. If a stray hair blows persistently across the eyes, it’s the sign that a stranger is coming.
Massachusetts.
780. The shin-bone itching means guests.
781. The nose itching signifies visitors.
General in the United States.
782. The nose itching foretells company. If on the right side, it means a man; if on the left, a woman.
Central New York.
783. If your nose itches, you will see an old friend whom you have not seen for some time.
New York and Pennsylvania.
784. If your nose itches, it means you’ll