228 GAMES. 



GAMES. 



CAT'S CRADLE OR CATCH CRADLE. 



Dr. Brewer, in his " Dictionary of Phrase and Fable," thinks 

 this "the corrupt for cratch cradle or manger cradle, in which 

 the infant Saviour was laid. Cratch is the French arche (a rack 

 or manger), and to the present hour the racks which stand 

 in the fields for cattle to eat from are called cratches.'^ Of 

 this, however, I am doubtful, though there is much reason 

 in his suggestion. In Sussex and Kent, when I was a boy, 

 it was commonly played among children, but always called 

 cat's, catchy or scratch cradle, and consisted generally of two 

 or more players. A piece of string, being tied at the ends, 

 was placed on the fingers, and crossed and recrossed to 

 make a sort of cradle ; the next player inserted his or her 

 fingers, quickly taking it off; then the first catching it back, 

 then the second again, then the first, as fast as possible, 

 catching and taking off the string. Sometimes the sides 

 were caught by the teeth of the players, one on each side, 

 and as the hands were relaxed the faces were apart, then 

 when drawn out it brought the faces together ; the string 

 being let go or not, and caught again as it receded, was 

 according to the will of the players, the catching and letting 

 go affording much merriment. When four or five played, 

 the string rapidly passed from hand to hand until, in the 

 rapidity of the motion, one missed, who then stood out, and 

 so on until only one was left, winning the game of cat's, 

 catch, or scratch cradle. It was varied also to single and 

 double cradle, according to the number of crossings of the 

 string. Catch is easily converted into cafs, or it might be 

 so called from the catching or clawing at, to get and to hold, 

 the entanglement. 



