Howway...

[venta]

A quick survey about junior school games, for those who can remember that far back.

Yesterday, with half an eye on the rugby, I commented that parts of it were pretty much indistinguishable from an extended game of Pile On.

The basic principle of which is, you push someone over, shout "Pile On!" and then pile as many people on them as possible. onebyone fixed me with his special "you're a weird Northerner" gaze, and told me that the game was, and always has been, called Bundle.

Any offers? I suspect I may be relying on jiggery_pokery to back me up here.

My mum agrees that it was definitely Pile On in her day, my dad appears to have gone to too refined a school to do such things. They did comment, however, on there being a big regional variation on what you say when you're playing some game like Tiggy[*] and for some reason, such as injury, require not to be tiggable for a while.

Round our way saying "kings" (and crossing your fingers) rendered you untouchable... for a while. Anyone suspected of overusing it probably got Piled On. I'm sure someone's probably done proper etymological research into all this, but how could it possibly be better than the answers of a self-selecting LJ readership?

[*] or Tag, if you're a southern jessy.

Oh, and my Designated Hero for the Week (DHW) this week is also onebyone. Though I'm ashamed to admit I've completely forgotten why. I quite like the idea of a DHW, I shall try and keep it up.

Comments

[verlaine.livejournal.com]

Interestingly in Clwyd I think we would have called it "Tig", probably indicating that we're a weird no-man's-land spurned by both Northerners and Southerners as inferiors.

I like the idea of a DHW. I take it that the title isn't actually an honorific based on actual actions, but rather implies that, in the event that a hero is needed, it'll be onebyone who has to step into the breach (and sacrifice his life if necessary)?

[venta.livejournal.com]

I take it that the title isn't actually an honorific based on actual actions, but rather implies that, in the event that a hero is needed, it'll be onebyone who has to step into the breach

No, it is awarded post-heroism, the post once held is something of a sinecure. Any intra-breach-stepping done by onebyone this week will be purely voluntary.

Re:

[verlaine.livejournal.com]

Tsk! You'll be telling me that a Designated Driver should be bought lots of rounds by his friends in the pub to reward him for his excellent prior driving, next.

[onebyone.livejournal.com]

Yep, and awarding American servicement Purple Hearts if and only if they promise to deliberately leap into the line of fire at some point in the future.

[onebyone.livejournal.com]

Actually, the confusions might be down to the fact that venta in fact nominated me DHW for *last* week, not this week.

I can't remember why, either.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Nah, it's like the FA cup. You win it last week, but then you're the holder of it for the next week :)

Aassuming someone is suitably heroic, there'll be another one along next weekend.