Browse:Toby (Volume 1, entries 2339–2342)
Toby
Volume 1, entries 2339–2342. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → HANDS: MAGIC HELPERS. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 2339
[A toby is a hand. The following informant uses these two terms as synonyms. Toby belongs to the New Orleans area and is little known along the Atlantic coast - unknown in the country districts.] If yo' wanta make a han', yo' kin make a han' fo' fellah tuh carry in his pocket or if he wanta wear it roun' his neck. Yo' git chew a piece of John de Conker vine. Dat's used often in a lot of dese cases. Yo' take yo' some soda, cookin' soda, an' yo' take yo' some lodestone, a she an' a he, an' sew dat together. Don't have tuh take a great big piece - jis' a small piece. Yo' sew dat up, dat soda, John de Conker vine an' oil of clover. Yo' wet [feed] it wit oil of clover - yo' buy yo' some oil of clover an' yo' wet it. That brings luck. Yo' buy yo' a bottle of Jockey Club Perfume. Wash an' scrub yore han's. Wit dat toby yo' bound tuh win.
Entry 2340
Dey tell yo' 'bout de tree dat's struck by lightnin'. Yo' take de bark from dat tree an' yo' take dat bark an' yo' burn dat bark into ashes an' yo' take dem ashes an' yo' git chew some Epsom salt an' put wit dat. Yo' kin take de Epsom salt an' de ashes from dat tree an' yo' put it in a flannen rag with lode- stone an' yo' sew it up, an' yo' take that an' use it as a toby for all de time. If yo' wanta go yore way, jes' go on an' go yore way. Long as yo' got that wit chew, yo' cain't nevah be disappointed, nobody will evah refuse yo' no way, yo' nevah have no fusses. [For "struck by lightning," see Thunderbolt Hand above.]
Entry 2341
Yo' take that hair an' yo' bury it, yo' see, an' when yo bury that hair yo' puts it into lak a little bag, an' yo' make a toby lak yo' would make a toby, put a little hair in there an' bury it; but chew bury dat in de grave- yard.
(What will that do then?)
That will run yo' crazy.
Entry 2342
Luck piece - you carry de luck piece on you." You get you a John de Conquer root, put dat in your pocket and you carry dat along. You use Noonsum oil.
(Use what?)
Noonsa oil.
(Noonsa?)
Yeah.
(All right. What kind of oil is that?)
That's a lucky oil.
(Where do you buy that?)
You buy dat - you order dat.
(Oh, you order that. Oh, I see.)
And you take dat and pour it on dat. You make you a toby, see, and put dat on dat and carry dat in your pocket, see. Well, dat influence de man's [mind] you see, where you tryin' to get a job - he give you a job pref'rence anybody else. You got his mind, you see. You [got] de influence of him, you see. He'll work you where maybe he'll turn off maybe four or five more - he'll take you, you see, and let the other fellow go.
(Now will you tell me the name of that oil once more?)
Nooso - Noozoo Oil.
(Noonzoo oil?)
Yes, sir.
(Do you know how they spell that?)
No, sir - I don't know how you spell dat Noonzoo. (Noonzoo oil.) [See Spelling, difficult to get a, in Index.]