fossick

== English == === Etymology === Probably from dialectal fossick (“to ferret out”), fossuck (“troublesome person”), fussick (“to potter over one's work”), fussock (“to bustle about”), further origin uncertain. Compare fuss. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈfɒsɪk/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈfɑsɪk/ Hyphenation: fos‧sick === Verb === fossick (third-person singular simple present fossicks, present participle fossicking, simple past and past participle fossicked) (intransitive, Australia, British, New Zealand) To search for something; to rummage. (intransitive, Australia, British, New Zealand specifically) To elicit information; to ferret out. [from mid 19th c.] (intransitive, Australia, British, New Zealand specifically) To search for gems, gold, etc., on the surface or in abandoned workings. (intransitive, British, dialect) To be troublesome. ==== Synonyms ==== (to search for gems, gold, etc.): noodle ==== Derived terms ==== fossicker fossicking (noun) ==== Related terms ==== fussicky (possibly related) ==== Translations ==== === References === === Further reading === fossicking on Wikipedia.Wikipedia