The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland Volume I Part 52

Hiss and Clap

All the boys are requested to leave the room, when the girls take their seats, leaving a vacant place on the right side of each girl for the gentleman of her choice. Each boy in turn is then summoned by another who acts as doorkeeper, and asked to guess which lady he imagines has chosen him for her partner. Should he guess rightly he is allowed to take his seat by the lady who has chosen him, while the other girls loudly clap hands. Should he guess wrongly he is hissed, and sent out of the room by the doorkeeper.-Cork, Ireland (Miss Keane).

At Long Eaton in Nottinghamshire Miss Youngman records a similar game to this, with a rhyme that is probably taken from a popular song or ballad.

The successful candidate for the girl's choice claims a kiss, but if unsuccessful he is beaten out of the room with knotted handkerchiefs.

Hitch Jamie; Hitch Jamie, Stride and Loup

The boyish play of "Hop, Step, and Jump."-Atkinson's _Cleveland Glossary_.

Brockett (_North Country Words_) calls this "Hitch."

See "Half-Hammer," "Hick, Step, and Jump."

Hitchapagy

An undescribed Suffolk game.-Halliwell's _Dictionary_.

Hitchy c.o.c.k Ho

An undescribed Suffolk game.-Moor's _Suffolk Words_.

Hity t.i.ty

The Somerset name for "See-Saw."

Hoatie, Hots

When a number of boys agree to have a game at the Pearie or peg-top, a circle is drawn on the ground, within which all the tops must strike and spin. If any of them bounce out of the circle without spinning, it is called a Hoatie. The punishment to which the Hoatie is subjected consists in being placed in the ring, while all the boys whose tops ran fairly have the privilege of striking-or, as it is called, "deggin"-it till it is either split or struck out of the circle. If either of these take place, the boy to whom the Hoatie belonged has the privilege of playing again.-Upper Lanarkshire (Jamieson).

See "Gully," "Hoges."

Hob-in-the-Hall

An old game mentioned by Wycherley (_Plain Dealer_, 1677).

Hockerty c.o.kerty

The same game as "c.o.c.kerty-hooie."

Hockey

This game is played with a solid indiarubber ball from two to two and a half inches in diameter. The players each have a bent or hooked stick or "hockey." They take opposite sides. The object of the game is for each side to drive the ball through their opponents' goal. The goals are each marked by two poles standing about eight to ten feet apart, and boundaries are marked at the sides. The ball is placed in the middle of the ground. It is started by two players who stand opposite each other, the ball lying between their two sticks. They first touch the ground with their hockey-sticks, then they touch or strike their opponents'

stick. This is repeated three times. At the third stroke they both try to hit the ball away. The ball may only be played by a hockey-stick, and a goal is gained when the ball is played between the posts by the opposing party.-Barnes (A. B. Gomme).

(_b_) In Ross and Stead's _Holderness Glossary_ this game is described under the name of "Shinnup." Robinson (_Mid Yorkshire Glossary_) gives it under "Shinnops," a youth's game with a ball and stick, heavy at the striking end, the player manuvring to get as many strokes as possible and to drive the ball distances. "Shinnoping" is also used for the game in operation. "Jowling," or "Jowls," is given in Robinson's _Whitby Glossary_, as a game played much the same as "Hockey." "Baddin" is the name given to it in Holland's _Cheshire Glossary_. Another name is "Doddart" (Brockett, _North Country Words_).

(_c_) An old custom in vogue in bygone days was Rotherham Fair, or what was called "Whipping Toms," which took place in the Newarkes every Shrove Tuesday. So soon as the pancake bell rang men and boys a.s.sembled with sticks having a k.n.o.b or hook at the end. A wooden ball was thrown down, and two parties engaged in striving which could get the ball by striking it with their sticks to one end of the Newarke first-those who did so were the victors. This game was called "Shinney," or "Hockey."

About one o'clock the Whipping Toms appeared on the scene of action.

These were three men clad in blue smock frocks, with very long waggon whips, who were accompanied by three men with small bells. They commenced driving the men and boys out of the Newarkes. It was very dangerous sometimes; they would lash the whip in such a manner round the legs of those they were pursuing as to throw them down, which produced laughter and shouting. Some would stop, and turn to the whipper and say, "Let's have a pennyworth," and he would guard and parry off the lashes with his shinney stick. When the whipper was successful in lashing him he demanded his penny, and continued lashing until he paid.

This was continued until five o'clock, then the game terminated. This was suppressed, I believe, in 1847. At that period it was a prevalent idea that it could not be abolished, as it was connected with an "old charter." It is believed in the town that this custom was to commemorate the driving out of the Danes from the Newarkes at the time they besieged Leicester.-Leicester (Robert Hazlewood).

See "Bandy," "Camp," "Football," "Hood," "Hurling."

Hoges

"The hoges," a boy's game played with "peeries" (peg-tops). The victor is ent.i.tled to give a certain number of blows with the spike of his peerie to the wood part of his opponent's.-Patterson's _Antrim and Down Glossary_.

See "Gully," "Hoatie."

Ho-go

A game played with marbles. The first player holds up a number in his closed hand and says, "Ho-go;" the second says, "Handfull;" the first then says, "How many?" The other guesses. If he should guess correctly he is ent.i.tled to take them all; but otherwise he must give the difference between the number he guessed and the number actually held up to make.-Lowsley's _Berkshire Words_. It is also called "How many eggs in a basket?"-London (J. P. Emslie).

See "Hairry my Bossie."

Hoilakes

The name of a game of marbles which are cast into a hole in the ground.-Easther's _Almondbury and Huddersfield Glossary_.

Holy Bang

A game with marbles, which consists in placing a marble in a hole and making it act as a target for the rest. The marble which can hit it three times in succession, and finally be shot into the hole, is the winning ball, and its owner gets all the other marbles which have missed before he played.-London (_Strand Magazine_, ii. 519).

See "Bridgeboard," "Capie Hole," "Hundreds."

Honey Pots

[Music]

-London (J. P. Emslie).

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 1.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 2.]