Foxing

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The occurrence of a brownish discoloration on paper from mold or mildew is referred to as this term, which can also denote a playful or cunning character in animals
2. This term describes both the process of paper becoming marked with brown spots due to age or environmental factors and the clever behavior often associated with certain animals
3. In addition to indicating a type of paper damage caused by biological organisms, this term can also signify the shrewd or crafty traits observed in some creatures, particularly in the wild

Etymology: Brown paper stains, the spotty discoloration that appears on old prints, books and paper, are named after the animal. The sense comes from the reddish-brown colour of a fox's coat, which the mottled marks were thought to resemble. "Fox" itself is a word of uncertain ancestry, possibly linked to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "tail," which would make the animal the bushy-tailed one. The "-ing" ending simply turns the verb "to fox," meaning to stain or discolour, into a noun for the marks it produces. The verb itself grew out of the colour association, so the stains are named for the fox's hue rather than anything the animal does.