Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 January 1891 — "TIDDLEDYWINKS." [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

"TIDDLEDYWINKS."

The New Parlor Game Which Has Recently Become the Craze. “Progressive euchre has had its day, but it isn’t in it any more. In fact, there is no game now but ‘tiddledywinks,’ and I’m getting so I can play that with my eyes shut.” This was the way a young society man spoke of the new fad yesterday. “It’s a great game,” he added, “and lots of fun. Everybody is playing it. and a knowledge of the game is almost as essential as knowing how to dance.” The new game of tiddledywinks is an important one, and in its origin is quite English. The American game has been modified somewhat from its London original, and is arranged so that more players can take part. The name is apparently nonsensical and its origin is only to be explained by deduction. Small ivory chips are jumped by striking them on the edge with a larger ehijf, and the object of the game is to make them fall into a small “wink” pot set in the center of the table. Every girl winks when her chip jumps, so the small chips are called “winks.” The large chips are jumpers, and this suggests the baby appellation for an altogether different kind of a jumper, and so they are called “tiddledys.” At least, this is the explanation which a Fifth avenue girl gave her country cousin a few days ago. The new game is very popular and has become quite a craze. From two to six persons can play, but the more the better, as well as merrier, when arranged as partners. The wink-pot is placed in the center of the table. It is a small cup, barely two inches in diameter. If a mat or

heavy tablecloth is used the only other “implements” are the winks, the tiddledvs and a number of pasteboard counters. If not, each player is provided with a small pad or mat about three or four inches broad, from which to jump the winks. Every player has six winks. The mats are placed at an equal distance from the wink-pot. A wink is put on the mat, and the player holding one of the tiddledys hits or presses with its edge upon the wink, causing it to jump. The best result is secured bv resting the tiddledy on the wink and drawing it backward. The wink may be made to jump several feet in this way. The science comes in in so gauging the pressure that the wink will fall into the pot. If it goes beyond, the player must jump it back. One plays until he fails to put a wink in, and then the turn passes. Partners may help each other. The object in the English game is to get all the winks in, and one who is through first tallies one for every wink left on the table when they are through. It often happens that a wink falls on t?iat of another player. The under one cannot be touched, and the owner

of the upper one may play all the rest in before trying that and setting the under one free. In the American game each* wink jumped into the pot counts one. At the start a pool is formed, each player anteing seven counters. Each plays his own six winks at the first round. After that he plays any winks he chooses, and as long as he can put winks into the pot. If he fails to put a wink in in six trials he forfeits two counters to the pool. If he clears the table he can take out of the pot as many as he can put back. Four winks in succession form a run, and for every wink in'a run over three the player receives an extra counter from the pool. When the winks are all in the player who has made the largest run and the one putting in the largest number of winks will divide the pool equally. Both the English and American games are played so as to give variety, and the game is also made more interesting by varying the distances at which the mats are placed from the wink-pot at the start-point. Sometimes a line ten inches in diameter is drawn around the wink-pot, and winks falling in it have to Ire left until all others are in. This ring is called the dead-line. The game is quick and lively, requires considerable skill and the score is easily kept. Thismakosit especially entertaining as a “progressive” game with several tables.