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Tip-cat (also called cat, cat and dog, one-a-cat, pussy, or piggy) is a pastime which consists of tapping a short billet of wood (usually no more than ) with a larger stick (similar to a baseball bat or broom handle); the shorter piece is tapered or sharpened on both ends so that it can be "tipped up" into the air when struck by the larger, at which point the player attempts to swing or hit it a distance with the larger stick while it is still in the air (similar to swinging at a pitch in baseball or cricket, etc.).
There are many varieties of the game, but in the most common, the batter, having placed the billet, or "cat", in a small circle on the ground, tips it into the air and hits it to a distance. His opponent then offers him a certain number of points, based upon his estimate of the number of hops or jumps necessary to cover the distance. If the batter thinks the distance underestimated he is at liberty to decline the offer and measure the distance in jumps, and score the number made.
Tip-cat (also called cat, cat and dog, one-a-cat, pussy, or piggy) is a pastime which consists of tapping a short billet of wood (usually no more than ) with a larger stick (similar to a baseball bat or broom handle); the shorter piece is tapered or sharpened on both ends so that it can be "tipped up" into the air when struck by the larger, at which point the player attempts to swing or hit it a distance with the larger stick while it is still in the air (similar to swinging at a pitch in baseball or cricket, etc.).
There are many varieties of the game, but in the most common, the batter, having placed the billet, or "cat", in a small circle on the ground, tips it into the air and hits it to a distance. His opponent then offers him a certain number of points, based upon his estimate of the number of hops or jumps necessary to cover the distance. If the batter thinks the distance underestimated he is at liberty to decline the offer and measure the distance in jumps, and score the number made.
In popular culture
Italo Calvino
Italo Calvino (, also , ;. RAI (circa 1970), retrieved 25 October 2012. 15 October 1923 – 19 September 1985) was an Italian writer and journalist. His best known works include the '' Our Ancestors'' trilogy (1952–1959), the ''Cosmicomi ...
has written a short story "Making Do" (in English, "Chi si contenta" in Italian), published in the collection ''Numbers in the Dark and Other Stories'' in which the only thing left legal for the citizens to do is to play tip-cat (Lippa in the Italian), which they do all day, until even that is forbidden them, too. A variant of the Italian 'lippa' is 'lizza'.
Variations
InWalsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield.
Walsall is t ...
in the 1950s, an alternative version required a set of stumps and bails, similar to those used in cricket; unlike cricket, these stumps were leant against a convenient wall, as the game was played in the street. The aim was to tip up the cat and then strike it towards the stumps with the object of dislodging the bails. Opposing fielders were allowed to catch the cat in flight.
Gillidanda
Gilli Danda (also spelled Gulli-Danda) also known as Viti Dandu, Kitti-Pul and by other variations, is a sport originating from the Indian subcontinent, played in the rural areas and small towns all over South Asia as well as Cambodia, Iran, ...
in southern Europe and the Indian subcontinent
Mazza e pivezo in the language of Naples, southern Italy
Èšurca in Romania and Moldavia
Cead, or Cleas na Slise in Ireland
Jachigi in South Korea.
Alak Dolak in Iran.
Knurr and Spell
Knurr and spell (also called northern spell, nipsy or trap ball) is an old English game, once popular as a pub game.
History
The game originated in the moors of Yorkshire, in England, but then spread throughout the north of England. It can ...
in West Yorkshire.
Dainty, a local variation of this game played in the Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...
neighborhood of Germantown-Schnitzelburg
Nipsi in Pennsylvania Dutch
The Pennsylvania Dutch ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ), also known as Pennsylvania Germans, are a cultural group formed by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They emigrated primarily from German-sp ...
communities.Shoemaker, Alfred L. "Let's All Play Nipsi," The Pennsylvania Dutchman, volume 1, no. 3. Lancaster, PA, Thursday, May 19, 1949, p. 2. https://dspace.fandm.edu/bitstream/handle/11016/24033/Vol1No.3.pdf?sequence=1
See also
* Giddy-gaddy *British folk sports
This page lists sports and games which have traditionally been played in rural areas. Predominantly they come from the British Isles.
Some take the form of annual events in a particular location associated with the tradition. Others have become ...
*Dandi biyo
Dandi biyo ( ) is a game played in Nepal which was considered the '' de facto'' national game until 23 May 2017, when volleyball was declared as the national sport. Dandi biyo is played with a stick (''dandi'') about long and a wooden pin ('' ...
References
{{Reflist Outdoor games