Mumblety-peg
Mumblety-peg (also known as mumbley-peg, mumblepeg, mumble-the-peg, mumbledepeg or mumble-de-peg) is an old outdoor game played by children using pocketknives.[1] The term "Mumblety-peg" came from the practice of putting a peg of about 2 or 3 inches into the ground. The loser of the game had to take it out with his teeth. [2] Mumbletypeg was very popular as a schoolyard game in the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries, but with increased concern over child safety the game has declined in popularity. Mark Twain's book Tom Sawyer, Detective recounts "mumbletypeg" as one of boys' favorite outdoor games.[3] The game continued as a popular activity at summer camps into the 1970s.
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[edit] Overview
Mumblety peg is generally played between two people with the aid of a pocket knife. In one version of the game, two opponents stand opposite one another with their feet shoulder-width apart. The first player then takes the knife and throws it to "stick" in the ground as near his own foot as possible. The second player then repeats the process. Whichever player "sticks" the knife closest to his own foot wins the game.
If a player "sticks" the knife in his own foot, he wins the game by default, although few players find this option appealing because of the possibility of bodily harm. The game combines not only precision in the knife-throwing, but also a good deal of bravado and proper assessment of one's own skills.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Newell, W.W. (2010). Games and Songs of American Children. Nabu Press. p. 189. ISBN 978-1145393226.
- ^ "Old Schoolyard Games". Forest Preserve District of Cook County (Illinois). Newton/ANL. http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/200-299/nb287.htm. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
- ^ Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer, Detective Pg. 1
[edit] External links
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This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (August 2010) |
- How To Play Mumbly Peg (different version than described above)
- Of Pocketknives and Mumbledy-Peg by John Rezelman
- 'Not Too Sharp' - Delaware Today by Shaun Gallagher
- Dialect Survey Results: Mumblety-peg List naming variations for the game.
- "Pocket Knife Games Were Popular Pastimes" by Glenn Tunney described a game called “Pocket Knife Baseball”
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