The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland Volume Ii Part 60

Time.

The players stand in a line. Two are chosen, who stand apart, and fix on any hour, as one, two, three, &c., or any half-hour. A nestie is marked off at some distance from the row of players. One of the two goes in front of the line of players, and beginning at one end asks each the hour. This is done till the hour fixed on between the two is guessed.

The one that makes the right guess runs to catch the other of the two that fixed the hour, and she makes off to the "nestie." If she is caught she goes to the line of players, and the one that caught her takes her place. If she reaches the "nestie" without being caught, she has still to run to the line of players; if she does this without being caught she holds her place as one of the time-fixers, but if caught she takes her stand in the line, and the one that caught her becomes time-fixer.-Fraserburgh (Rev. W. Gregor).

Tip it.

This is played by six players, divided into two sides of three each, with one captain to each side. A ring or other small object is taken by the side which wins the toss, and then both sides sit down to a small table. The in-side puts their hands under the table, and the ring is given to one of the three players. At a given signal they all bring up their closed hands on to the table, and the other side has to guess in which closed fist the ring is. The guesser has the privilege of ordering "off" the hands which he thinks are empty. If he succeeds in getting the empty hands off, he says "tip it" to the remaining one. If he guesses right the ring changes sides. The game is to keep the ring or other object on one side as long as possible.-London (Alfred Nutt).

Tip-Cat.

Strutt says this is so denominated from the piece of wood called a cat, about six inches in length, and an inch and a half or two inches in diameter, diminished from the middle to both ends. When the cat is on the ground the player strikes it smartly, when it rises with a rotatory motion high enough for him to hit it again before it falls, in the same manner as a ball. He says there are various methods of playing the game, and describes the two following: A large ring is made in the ground; in the middle of this the striker takes his station; his business then is to hit the cat over the ring. If he fails in doing so he is out, and another player takes his place; if successful, he judges with his eye the distance the cat is driven from the centre of the ring, and calls for a number at pleasure to be scored towards his game: if the number demanded be found upon measurement to exceed the same number of lengths of the bludgeon, he is out; on the contrary, if it does not, he obtains his call. The second way of playing is to make four, six, or eight holes in the ground in a circular direction, and at equal distances from each other, at every hole is placed a player with his bludgeon: one of the opposite party who stand in the field tosses the cat to the batsman who is nearest him, and every time the cat is struck the players are obliged to change their situations, and run once from one hole to another in succession; if the cat be driven to any great distance they continue to run in the same order, and claim a score towards their game every time they quit one hole and run to another; but if the cat be stopped by their opponents and thrown across between any two of the holes before the player who has quitted one of them can reach the other, he is out.

Mr. Kinahan says there is among old Irish games one sometimes called cat, played with three or more players on each side, two stones or holes as stations, and a lobber, but the regular cat is played with a stick four inches long, bevelled at each end, called the cat. This bevelled stick is laid on the ground, and one end hit with a stick to make it rise in the air, when it is. .h.i.t by the player, who runs to a mark and back to his station. The game is made by a number of runs; while the hitter is out if he fails three times to hit the cat, or if he is. .h.i.t by the cat while running.-(_Folk-lore Journal_, ii. 264.) The common game of "tip-cat" was called _cat-and-kitten_ by Dorset children. The long stick represented the "cat" and the small pieces the "kitten."-(_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 234.) Elworthy (_West Somerset Words_) calls it Stick and Snell. Brogden (_Provincial Words, Lincolnshire_) gives it as tip-cat, as does Lowsley (_Berkshire Glossary_), also Trippit and Coit, and Trippit and Rack in some parts of the North.-Brockett's _North Country Words_. Once commonly played in London streets, now forbidden.

See "Cudgel," "Waggles."

Tip-tap-toe.

A square is drawn having nine smaller squares or houses within it. Two persons play. They alternately make the one a square and the other a cross in any one of the houses. He that first gets three in a line wins the game.-Peac.o.c.k's _Manley and Corringham Glossary_. Brogden (_Provincial Words, Lincolnshire_) calls it t.i.t-tat-toe, also Lowsley (_Berkshire Glossary_).

Northall says called Tick-tack-toe in Warwickshire and Staffordshire; the rhyme is "Tick-tack-toe, I've caught you."

This game is called "Noughts and Crosses," in London, probably from those marks being used in the game.

See "Kit-Cat-Cannio," "Noughts and Crosses."

Tiring Irons.

An old game with iron rods and rings.-Holland's _Cheshire Glossary_.

Tisty Tosty

See "Shuttlefeather," "Teesty Tosty."

t.i.tter-totter

The game of see-saw.-Halliwell's _Dictionary_.

t.i.t-tat-toe.

A game played by school children on slates. A round is drawn, which is divided into as many divisions as is thought necessary, sixteen being generally the least. These divisions are each numbered, the centre containing a higher figure than any in the divisions, usually 25, 50, or 100. Several children can play. They each have a place or square allotted to them on the slate in which to record the numbers they obtain. A s.p.a.ce is allotted to "Old Nick" or the "Old Man." The players alternately take a pencil in their right hand (holding it point downwards on 1, and tapping on each number with it), and shutting their eyes move round and round the diagram saying-

"t.i.t, tat, toe, my first go, Three jolly butcher boys all in a row Stick one up, stick one down, Stick one in the old man's ground."

stopping and keeping the pencil in an upright position when the last word is said. The player then opens his eyes, and registers in his square the number at which the pencil stopped. This number is then scratched through on the diagram, to signify that it is taken, the other players proceed in the same manner as the first; then the first one begins again. This is continued till all the numbers are scratched out, or till one of the players puts his pencil into the centre, and thus wins the game. If all the figures are taken before the centre is touched, the game goes to the "Old man" or "Old Nick." Also, if one player puts his pencil in a division already taken, he records nothing and loses that turn; this is also the case if, after the verse is repeated, the pencil is found to be on a division or boundary line or outside the round.-London (A. B. Gomme).

[Ill.u.s.tration]

I was taught by a maid servant to play this game on the ground. This girl drew the round and divisions and figures on the gravel path or mould in the garden, and sharpened a piece of stick at one end for the pointer. She did not know the game as one played on slates, but always played it on the ground in this way.

This game appears to indicate a lottery, and might originally have had something to do with allotting pieces of land or other property to prospective owners under the ancient common field system. The places when taken by one player not being available for another, and the fact of it being known as played on the ground, and not on slates, are both significant indications of the suggested origin. The method of allotting lands by lottery is described in Gomme's _Village Community_. Mr.

Newell, _Games_, p. 140, records a similar game called "Wheel of Fortune."

Tods and Lambs

A game played on a perforated board with wooden pins.-Jamieson. The Editor adds that the game is materially the same as the English "Fox and Geese."

See "Fox and Geese" (2).

Tom Tiddler's Ground

[Music]

-Liverpool (Mrs. Harley).

A line is drawn on the ground, one player stands behind it. The piece so protected is "Tom Tiddler's ground." The other players stand in a row on the other side. The row breaks and the children run over, calling out, "Here we are on Tom Tiddler's ground, picking up gold and silver." Tom Tiddler catches them, and as they are caught they stand on one side. The last out becomes Tom Tiddler.-Monton, Lancashire (Miss Dendy).

Tom Tiddler's Ground is played at Chirbury under the name of "Boney" = Bonaparte! one boy taking possession of a certain area, and the others trespa.s.sing on it, saying, "I am on Boney's ground." If they are caught there, they are put "in prison" till released by a touch from a comrade.-Chirbury (_Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 523-524).

I'm on Tom Tinker's ground, I'm on Tom Tinker's ground, I'm on Tom Tinker's ground, Picking up gold and silver.

-Derbyshire (_Folk-lore Journal_, i. 386).

Northall (_Folk Rhymes_) gives the following lines, and describes it as played as above, except that Tom Tinder is provided with a knotted handkerchief, with which he buffets any one caught on his property:-

Here we are on Tom Tinder's ground, Picking up gold and silver; You pick weeds, and I'll pick seeds, And we'll all pick carraway comfits.

In the Liverpool district the game is called "Old Daddy Bunchey" (Mrs.

Harley), and in Norfolk "p.u.s.s.ey's Ground" (Miss Matthews).

It is also mentioned by Lowsley (_Berkshire Glossary_).

Tops

The special games now played with tops are mentioned under their respective t.i.tles, but the general allusions to the ancient whipping-tops are important enough to note.

Strutt says the top was known with us as early at least as the fourteenth century, when its form was the same as now, and the manner of using it can admit of but little if any difference. Representations of boys whipping tops occur in the marginal paintings of the MSS. written at this period; and in a work of the thirteenth century, "Le Miracle de Saint Loys," the whipping top (Sabot) is mentioned. The top was probably in use as a toy long before. Strutt records the following anecdote of Prince Henry, son of James I., which he met with in a MS. at the Museum, the author of which speaks of it as perfectly genuine. His words are-"The first tyme that he, the prince, went to the towne of Sterling to meete the king, seeing a little without the gate of the towne a stack of corne in proportion not unlike to a topp wherewith he used to play; he said to some that were with him, 'Loe there is a goodly topp;'

whereupon one of them saying, 'Why doe you not play with it, then?' he answered, 'Set you it up for me, and I will play with it.'"-_Sports_, p.