FOSSICK

Etymology

Verb

fossick (third-person singular simple present fossicks, present participle fossicking, simple past and past participle fossicked)

(intransitive, Australia, Britain, New Zealand) To search for something; to rummage.

(intransitive, Australia, Britain, New Zealand, specifically) To elicit information; to ferret out. [from mid 19th c.]

(intransitive, Australia, Britain, 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

Source: Wiktionary

Fos"sick, v. i. [Dial. E. fossick, fossuck, a troublesome person, fussick to potter over one's work, fussock to bustle about; of uncertain origin. Cf. Fuss.]

1. (Mining)

Definition: To search for gold by picking at stone or earth or among roots in isolated spots, picking over abandoned workings, etc.; hence, to steal gold or auriferous matter from another's claim. [Australia]

2. To search about; to rummage.

A man who has fossicked in nature's byways. D. Macdonald.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition