Girls’ games? Bless you, dozens of them.
Girls’ games? Bless you, dozens of them.
They play sports together with the boys: ball-games likeROUNDERS(“FOUR CORNERS”) andHEAD GAMEandDAGGLESandBROKEN BOTTLE(yes;BROKEN BOTTLEis a ball-game, and is also calledPASSING ROUND) andTHREE CATCHES OUTandROTTEN EGG(orCRACKED EGG) andA AND B, where they have to stand in four rings marked in chalk on the pavement; and some without balls such asFOOL, FOOL, COME TO SCHOOL(rather likeDUNCE, DUNCE, DOUBLE D.) andWRINKLE-SHELLSandHARK THE ROBBERS COMING THROUGH—an old catch game—andSTEPS, andSLY FOX, andLET GO MUST GO(a wall game) andHONEY-POTS.
Honey-potsis very respectable, but a little old-fashioned. Aunt Eliza says she used to play it, and Ican quite believe that. I can just see her playingHONEY-POTS.
Please we’ve come to learn a trade(also calledGUESSING WORDSorDUMB MOTIONS)—another game for boys and girls. There are two parties, one on each side of the street. One of them has to think of a trade, such as picking hops, for instance; then they take the first letters, P and H, and go over to the others and say “We have come to work a trade.” When the others ask, “What’s your trade?” they must answer “P. H.”, and pretend to be picking hops with their hands. If the others guess what trade they mean, they must shout it out and chase them across the street; and if they catch one of them—why, then they, the hop-pickers, must do the guessing instead.Catch-in-the-ropeis also for boys and girls, and soisPUSSY CAT, and so isSTATUES. There areUGLY STATUESandPRETTY STATUES. When you play this game you have to line yourselves up against a wall or a house; then the judge comes along and pulls one of you forwards and in that moment you have to make a posture and a face, sometimes pretty but mostly ugly, and pretend to be a statue. It spoils everything if you laugh over this game, as you may understand from this description:—
“A lot of players stand on a form. One person in front tells the person to form a statue if she move or laugh she is hee—”
“A lot of players stand on a form. One person in front tells the person to form a statue if she move or laugh she is hee—”
Another of them isHERE WE GO UP THE MULBERRY TREE, where they form two parties who challenge each other and try to pull each otheracross the street. And they have handkerchief games together such asI sent a letter to my love(“and on the way I dropped it”, a decent game for boys and girls, also calledLOST LETTER; and if you haven’t got a handkerchief, which you generally haven’t, you can take any old rag); andNICK NACK TOLLY WHACK, which is rather rough and goes like this:—
“Pick up for sides and one side says nick nack tolly wack. Then if the other side does not move they rush and each one has to have a wack with the tolly wack (a handkerchief with a knot in it).”
“Pick up for sides and one side says nick nack tolly wack. Then if the other side does not move they rush and each one has to have a wack with the tolly wack (a handkerchief with a knot in it).”
There are several more of these games for boys and girls—such asLOOKING GLASSandGOOSE-GANDERandSNOW-WHITE(where they go on handsand knees and get very dirty) andPET POST—but not as many as there might be, because they don’t play together as much as they might....
Then the girls have games to themselves: ball-games likeMACKINTOSH, andBASKET-BALL, andCROSS-BALL, andEMPEROR BALL, andCENTRE BALL, andCORNER CATCH BALL, andCIRCLE STRIDE BALL, andHAND BALL, andONE IN THE MIDDLE, andQUEEN MAB(a ball-hiding game, also calledQUEEN ANNE); and hand-clapping games such asONE-TWO-THREEandORANGES, ORANGES, FOUR A PENNY, andTWISTERS AND CLAPS; and ring games likeUP TO THE RING, andRUNNING IN AND OUT THE BLUEBELLS, andFIRE, andWALKING ROUND THE VILLAGE, andTHIEF, PRINCE, KING, QUEEN, BEGGAR, andTHROWING THE BEAN-BAGS, andPRETTY AND UGLY—where one girl stands in the centre of the ring andpicks out another one who has to make a face, and if she’s satisfied with the face, she allows her to stand in the centre instead.
Other girls’ games areMOTHER I’M OVER THE WATERandBOX NUTSandVICTORIAandTURNING MOTHER’S WRINGERandWE THREE KINGSandJOHN BROWN’S KNAPSACKandFILLING(orPUSHING THROUGH)THE GAPandwhen I was a schoolgirlandBREAD AND BUTTER(shuttlecock game) andCOME TO SEE POOR MARYandWE ARE ROMANS(two parties of girls) andWHAT IS ITandWHO KNOWSandHOW, WHEN AND WHEREandHEAD AND SHOULDERSandBEAST, BIRD, FISH, FLOWERandPOLLY GOES TO BEDandPOOR POLLY CAN’T SEEandTAGandRAILWAY RACEandON THE MOUNTAINandHOOK AND EYEandEGG IN THE SPOONandHAWK AND DOVEandBORROW A LIGHTandPEASE CODSandGOLDEN GOOSEandTREACLE PUDDINGandWHO’S AFRAID OF BLACK PETERandJENNY PLUCK PEARSandWALKING-STICKSandLOOKING FOR MOTHER’S THIMBLEandTIMEandLADYSMITHandPUSHY BACKandPASS OVERandWE ARE BRITISH SOLDIERSandL. S. D.and theWHITE SHIRT.The white shirtis an old ghost game, played like this:
“You have a lot of girls standing against a wall, one of them being the mother of the others. She tells them to go and see if father’s shirt’s dry (the shirt being a girl in white, standing at a distance). They go in turn to see if it is dry & each time the “ghost” in father’s shirt catches one. At last the mother alone is left, she goes and is caught; then another “shirt” is picked, and so the game goes on.”
“You have a lot of girls standing against a wall, one of them being the mother of the others. She tells them to go and see if father’s shirt’s dry (the shirt being a girl in white, standing at a distance). They go in turn to see if it is dry & each time the “ghost” in father’s shirt catches one. At last the mother alone is left, she goes and is caught; then another “shirt” is picked, and so the game goes on.”
I don’t think Aunt Eliza ever playedTHE WHITE SHIRT; she wouldn’t care about the name—
andMERRY MONTH OF MAYandCON-STANT-I-NO-PLEandBLACK AND BLUEandFOLLOW YOUR MOTHER TO MARKETandPUSSandMY SISTER JANEandTWO LITTLE PEOPLE WENT OUT ONE DAY(“As they went out they were heard to say”) andOLD DEVIL IN FIRE(orLIGHT MOTHER’S COPPER FIRE), which is played so:
“About one dozen girls can play. They select one who has to be the devil, she’s to stand against a wall, with a girl hid behind her. All the children have to try and light the fire, and each time the girl behind pinches them and they say “Oh, mother, the devil’s in fire.” Then the mother tries to light the fire and the devil chases them, and the one who iscaught has to become devil, next time.”
“About one dozen girls can play. They select one who has to be the devil, she’s to stand against a wall, with a girl hid behind her. All the children have to try and light the fire, and each time the girl behind pinches them and they say “Oh, mother, the devil’s in fire.” Then the mother tries to light the fire and the devil chases them, and the one who iscaught has to become devil, next time.”
It’s perfectly certain Aunt Eliza never playedOLD DEVIL.
And other girls’ games areJACOB AND RACHEL(where two of them have to chase each other blindfolded) andBUSHEL BASKETandMRS. BROWNandWOODEN LEGandROLLING PIN(two parties of girls who decide which of them has to chase the other by the red or blue colour marked on a rolling pin which is rolled between them) andPORK AND GREENS—
“One player asks a question and the next says pork and greens. If she says anything else she is out—”
“One player asks a question and the next says pork and greens. If she says anything else she is out—”
andTWO’S AND THREE’S—
“A double ring is formed. Then two children are out, they chase each other & one runs in front of a child then the back one is hee—”
“A double ring is formed. Then two children are out, they chase each other & one runs in front of a child then the back one is hee—”
andBUZZ—
“One player count one then the next says two and so on. Every 5 the player instead says buzz—”
“One player count one then the next says two and so on. Every 5 the player instead says buzz—”
andPARSON’S CAT—
“Children sit down in a ring and begin saying something about the cat such as Abomnerble Cat. Then B and so on.”
“Children sit down in a ring and begin saying something about the cat such as Abomnerble Cat. Then B and so on.”
I spy with one eyeandBLACK IN TOPPERandLOOKING THROUGH THE KEY-HOLEandPEEPING BEHIND THE CURTAINare hiding games for girls. ForSWINGSyou need a lamp-post and a piece of rope; it’s notexactly a game, but you can spend a nice Sunday afternoon over it, if there are no coppernobs about. InPOLLY TELL ME THE TIMEthey wind a skipping-rope round a girl’s waist a certain number of times, and then unwind her.
And that reminds me that some of the best girls’ games are with skipping ropes.
They haveSWING-SWONG, andDOUBLE DUTCH, andAMERICAN JUMP, andHIGHER AND HIGHER, andRUN AND SKIP, andHOOP AND SKIP, andINNERS AND OUTERS, andTOUCH TAIL, andNEBUCHADNEZZAR, andHIGH WATER, andNEVER LEAVE THE ROPE EMPTY, andOVER THE MOON, andONE-TWO, andTIPPERARY(new), andONE AND OUT, andSNAKES, andBIG BEN STRIKES ONE, andWHAT O SHE BUMPS(a new one), andALL IN THE ROPE, andFOLLOW THE LEADER(yes;a skipping game) andFULL-STOP, andCOLOURS, andHAREM SKIRT, andNAUGHTY GIRL, andTHROWING UP GIRLS, andCATCH IN THE LONG ROPE, andEIGHTS, andDIFFICULTY, andTHREE BETWEEN, andTHREE AND ALL ONandSITTING ON THE STAR,MARYandI AM A LITTLE SHADOWandROCK THE CRADLEandGIRLS’ NAMES, andBOYS’ NAMES, and goodness only knows how many more....