Following our conversation about fossicking for gemstones, a listener in Melbourne, Australia, points out that where he’s from, emu is slang for a person who picks up discarded tickets at a racetrack, hoping to find an accidentally discarded winner...
If you’re fossicking specifically for opals in Australia, you’re said to be noodling. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Noodling for Opals” Grant, earlier we were talking about the term fossick, meaning to hunt for gemstones. And I...
To fossick meaning “to rummage about,” derives from the use of fossicking for the practice of literally digging about for gemstones in abandoned mining excavations, a hobby that’s particularly popular in Australia and New Zealand. There, such...
matchy-matchy adj.— «Remember that if you’re ever tempted to get a little matchy-matchy—except when you’re wearing emeralds, rubies or sapphires surrounded by diamonds with a matching gown.» —“Designer builds lustrous career” by Patricia...
hair on them v. phr.— «Now, before you call your broker, a healthy dose of caution is in order. All of these companies have some hair on them—they wouldn’t be oversold if they were gems.» —“Four Stocks That Stand Out in Biotech’s Bargain Bin” by...
polyvitro n.— «The 35-foot-tall piece, composed of a kind of molded plastic, is titled “Glowing Gemstone Polyvitro Chandelier” (2000).» —“Glass Exhibition Offers Much to Admire” by Kyle MacMillan Omaha World-Herald (Neb.) Mar. 5, 2000. (source:...

