''La vache qui tache'' (English: "the

cow Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are called co ...

that stains") is a

party game Party games are games that are played at social gatherings to facilitate interaction and provide entertainment and recreation. Categories include (explicit) icebreaker, parlour (indoor), picnic (outdoor), and large group games.Frankel, Lillia ...

that originated in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The only prop required is a

cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

, one end of which has been blackened by a candle flame. Assign each player a number. Player one calls out "''Je suis la vache qui tache sans taches numéro 1 et j'appelle la vache sans taches numéro X''" ("I am the cow who spots with zero spots number 1, and I call the cow with zero spots number X"), where X is the number of any other player. When the game first starts no-one has any spots, so the number of spots is zero, or "sans tache". The next player, X, must immediately repeat the phrase, using his/her own number and another player for X ("I am the spotted cow with zero spots number X, and I call the cow with zero spots number Y"), where Y is the number of any other player. The game repeats this way until someone makes a mistake. If a player makes a mistake, like mixing up the cow numbers, taking too long to respond, or calling the wrong number of spots, that player gets "spotted", using the blackened cork to make a big round black dot on their face. If a player gets one spot, then that player must say "I am the spotted cow with one spot..." and so on for the number of spots received. Each mistake earns a player another spot, and both the player's number of spots and the number of spots of the player called must be taken into account every time a player is called. The game may continue indefinitely or end when someone gets a certain number of spots. A French

idiom An idiom is a phrase or expression that largely or exclusively carries a Literal and figurative language, figurative or non-literal meaning (linguistic), meaning, rather than making any literal sense. Categorized as formulaic speech, formulaic ...

for being falling-down-drunk is "black faced" in reference to this game.

Ibble Dibble

Ibble Dibble, or Ripple Tipple in

Australasia Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...

, is an English variant. It also involves marking people's faces with a blackened cork or a similar substance such as peanut butter. Ibble Dibble is similar, with one variant using the name of the person instead of a number. For example: "I am Ibble Dibble Kyle with no Dibble Ibbles calling Ibble Dibble Kate with one Dibble Ibble." Another variant is referring to "spots," saying "I'm number one spot, I've got no spots, how many spots has number X spot got?".

Commercialisation

In 2004 ''la vache qui tache'' was made into a commercial party game, distributed by Jeux F.K.La vache qui tache !

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vache Qui Tache, La Party games Cattle in popular culture