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2IO |
SPAN COUNTER—SPANGIE |
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lucid. It appears that each player must hold his shintie with its end in his hole, and it is only when he takes it out to prevent the sow-driver getting his sow into or towards the kirk, that the sow-driver has the chance of putting the sow into the player's hole, and so causing that player to take the place of sow-driver.
See " Kirk the Gussie."
Span Counter
A common game among boys. " You shall finde me playing at Span Counter."—Dekker's Northward Hoe. Toone, Etymological Dictionary, mentions this as a juvenile game played with counters.
Boys shall not play
At span counter or blow pipe.
—Donne (Satire iv.).
Dr. Grosart, in noting this passage, says, " I rather think the game is still played by boys when they directly, or by rebound, endeavour to play their button or marble into a hole." Strutt briefly notes the game as being similar to " Boss Out."—Sports, p. 384. Halliwell (Dictionary) simply gives the quotation from Donne's Poems, p. 131, mentioning the game.
See " Boss Out."
Spang and Purley
A mode resorted to by boys of measuring distances, particularly at the game of marbles. It means a space and something more.—Brockett's North Country Words.
Spangie
A game played by boys with marbles or halfpence. A marble or halfpenny is struck against the wall. If the second player can bring his so near that of his antagonist as to include both within a span, he claims both as his.—Jamieson.
This is the same game as "Banger," " Boss Out." Probably the Old English game of " Span Counter," or " Span Farthing," was originally the same.—See Johnson's Dictionary, |
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