The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland Volume Ii Part 62

All tee-totums or whirligigs seem to have some reference to tops, except that the tee-totum is used princ.i.p.ally for gambling.

Some have numbers on their sides like dice instead of letters, and some are of octagonal shape.

See "Lang Larence," "Scop-peril," "Tops."

Touch

One player is chosen "he." He then runs amidst the other players and tries to touch one, who then becomes "Tig" or "Touch" in turn.

See "Ticky Touchwood," "Tig."

Tower of London

The Tower is formed by a circle of children, two of whom const.i.tute the gate. These two join hands, and raise or lower their arm to open or shut the gate. The Tower is summoned to open its gates to admit "King George and all his merry men," how represented I can't remember; but I know that at one point there is a chase, and the prisoner is caught and brought before the king, when there ensues a sc.r.a.p of dialogue in song (Mrs. Harley).

See "How many miles to Babylon," "King of the Barbarie."

Town Lovers

There is a girl of our town, She often wears a flowered gown; Tommy loves her night and day, And Richard when he may, And Johnny when he can; I think Sam will be the man!

-Halliwell's _Nursery Rhymes_, pp. 217-218.

A girl is placed in the middle of a ring and says the lines, the names being altered to suit the players. She points to each one named, and at the last line the one selected immediately runs away; if the girl catches him he pays a forfeit, or the game is commenced again, the boy being placed in the middle.

Trades

Sides are chosen. These stand apart from each other, inside the line of their den. One side chooses amongst themselves a trade, and then walk over to the other side, imitating the actions pertaining to different parts of that trade, and giving the initial letter. If the trade is guessed by the opposite side, that side chooses the next trade, and performs the actions. If the trade is not guessed, the side is at liberty to choose another, and continue until one is guessed.-Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire (Miss Matthews).

The players that are to act the dumb tradesmen agree among themselves what trades are to be imitated. When this point is settled they present themselves before those that are to guess the trade, and proclaim three poor tradesmen wanting a trade-dumb. They then begin the work of imitation. The onlooker that first discovers the trade calls it out, and he becomes the dumb tradesman during the next round.-Fraserburgh (Rev.

W. Gregor).

Some of the players form a line, while three others come up and say-

"Here are three men from Botany Bay, Got any work to give us to-day."

The others ask, "What can you do?" To which they reply, "Anything." And the others retort, "Set to work, then."

The three then do some imaginary work, while those in the line have to guess what it is.-Ogbourne, Wilts (H. S. May).

"Two broken tradesmen newly come over, The one from France and Scotland, the other from Dover."

"What's your trade?"

Two boys privately arrange that the pa.s.s-word shall be some implement of a particular trade. The trade is announced after the above dialogue, and carpenters, nailors, sailors, smiths, tinkers, or any other is answered; and on guessing the instrument, "Plane him," "Hammer him," "Rasp him,"

or "Solder him," is called out; then the fun is that the unfortunate wight who guesses the "tool" is beaten with the caps of his fellows till he reaches a fixed goal, after which he goes out in turn.-Halliwell's _Nursery Rhymes_, cccxvi. In his _Dictionary_ it is called "Trades, and Dumb Motions."

Northall (_English Folk-Rhymes_) records this game as being played in Warwickshire. The method is practically the same as the Forest of Dean, except that the "tradesmen" are beaten if their trade is easily guessed by the others. They may also be beaten if they show their teeth during the operations.

Trap, Bat, and Ball

A game played with a trap, a ball, and a small bat. The trap is of wood made like a slipper, with a hollow at the heel end for the ball, and a kind of wooden spoon moving on a pivot, in the bowl of which the ball is placed. Two sides play-one side bats, the other fields. One of the batsmen strikes the end or handle of the spoon, the ball then rises into the air, and the art of the game is for the batsman to strike it as far as possible with the bat before it reaches the ground. The other side who are "fielding," try either to catch the ball before it falls to the ground, or to bowl it from where it falls to hit the trap. If they succeed in catching the ball all the "ins" are out, and their side goes in to strike the ball, and the previous batsmen to field; if the trap is. .h.i.t the batsman is out and another player of his side takes his place.

The batsman is also out if he allows the ball to touch the trap when in the act of hitting it.-(A. B. Gomme.)

Halliwell (_Dictionary_) says, "Nurspell" in Lincolnshire is somewhat similar to "Trap Ball." It is played with a kibble, a nur and a spell.

By striking the end of the spell with the kibble the nur rises into the air, and the game is to strike it with the kibble before it reaches the ground. He who drives it the greatest distance is the winner. Miss Burne (_Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 527) says, "Trib and Knurr," otherwise "Dog Stick," are local names for "Knur and Spell," a superior form of "Trap Ball." The "knurr" is a hard wooden ball, the "trib" is the trap or receptacle, the "Dog Stick" the sort of club with which it is struck.

The game is played as described by Halliwell. She adds it was formerly the favourite pastime of young men on Shrove Tuesday.

At Bury St. Edmonds, on Shrove Tuesday, Easter Monday, and Whitsuntide festivals, twelve old women side off for a game at "Trap and Ball,"

which is kept up with the greatest spirit and vigour until sunset.-_Suffolk County Folk-lore_, p. 56. See also Chambers's _Book of Days_, i. p. 428, for a similar custom among women at Chester.

See "Nur and Spel," "Tribet," "Trippit and Coit."

Tray-Trip

Grose says this was an ancient game, like Scotch-hop, played on a pavement marked out with chalk into different compartments. According to Halliwell (_Dictionary_), it was a game at dice.

See "Hop-scotch," "Scotch Hop."

Tres-acre

A game in which generally six are engaged-one taking a station before two about 12 yards behind him, three 12 yards behind these two. One is the catch-pole. Never more than two can remain; the supernumerary one must always shift and seek a new station. If the catch-pole can get in before the person who changes his station, he has the right to take his place, and the other becomes pursuer.-Jamieson.

This is not very descriptive, but the game is evidently the same as "Round Tag" and "Twos and Threes," played with a small number.

Tribet

A common children's game played in Lancashire; which, perhaps, may be the primitive form of "Trap." It is played with a "pum," a piece of wood about a foot long and two inches in diameter, and a "tribet," a small piece of hard wood.-Halliwell's _Dictionary_.

See "Trap, Bat, and Ball."

Trippit and Coit

A game formerly known under the appellation of "Trippets," Newcastle.

It is the same as "Trip-cat" in some southern counties. The trippet is a small piece of wood obtusely pointed-something like a shoe-hollow at one end, and having a tail a little elevated at the other, which is struck with a buckstick. It is also called "Buckstick, Spell-and-Ore."-Brockett's _North Country Words_. See also d.i.c.kinson's _c.u.mberland Glossary_. Halliwell's _Dictionary_ says-The game is almost peculiar to the North of England. There is a poem called "The Trip Match" in _Mather's Songs_.

See "Nur and Spel," "Trap, Bat, and Ball."

Trip and Go