Fossick, skerrick and derrick - terms you know?
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (380507)
Rockingham, Australia
May 24, 2026 2:34am CST
I’ve written before I think about ‘fossick’ seeming to be a word peculiar to Australia. Today I came across ‘skerrick’ which is very familiar to me but I don’t see it in print very often. I’m wondering if people know of skerrick or is it another of those that are more pertinent to a particular country/region.
Skerrick means a small piece as in ‘there wasn’t a skerrick of food in the house’. And how about ‘derrick’ used for lifting heavy objects? Do you know that one? I like the ‘ck’ spelling at the end. Silly I know but there you go. 
6 people like this
8 responses
@snowy22315 (207959)
• United States
5h
Never heard skerrick. The only derrick I know is an oil derrick which pumps up oil from the ground. There are a lot of them in the Midwest and West..and parts of the South
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (380507)
• Rockingham, Australia
5h
That's the only derrick I know too. I did wonder about skerrick - if anyone would know it or not.
@FourWalls (86114)
• United States
2h
I’ve heard “Derrick” as a person’s name (also Derick), but I haven’t heard the word in reference to lifting mechanisms (we generally call things like that “cranes” here, even if they are technically derricks). I looked skerrick up and it said it was unique to British and Australian English.
