What is the superstition about moons and goochers?

I love the movie Stand By Me and they mention something about moons and goochers in it when they are flipping the coins. I am just interested in finding out what it actually is.

It has no meaning outside of the movie. I’ve never read the book, so I don’t know if the reference to ‘moons’ was ever explained, but the meaning of ‘goochers’ can be inferred from the script.

It is the occurrence of four coins all coming up tails on a flip. Used to in the movie to be an omen of impending disaster.

…..
Vern:
Four tails! Oh Jesus man, that’s a goocher!

Chris:
Come on, Vern. That doesn’t mean anything! Let’s go again.

Vern:
No man. No man. A goocher—that’s really bad! You remember when Clint Bracken and those guys got wiped-out on Weed Hill in Durham? Billy told me they was flippin’ for beers and they came up with a goocher just before they got into the car, and BANG! They all got totaled! I don’t like this. Sincerely.

Teddy:
Verno! Nobody believes that crap about moons and goochers, it’s baby stuff! Now come on, flip again.

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You gonna flip, or not?!

Source(s): http://members.cox.net/ronfleischer/sbm/ – annotated transcript available on-line

When 3 or more people do a coin toss and they all come up heads it’s moons. Tails, it’s goochers.

Answer Prime

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