"play Copenhagen"

[Jonathan Lighter]

OK, "Copenhagen" is a kissing game. From ProQuest:

  1842 _Graham's Lady's and Gentleman's Mag._ (June) XX  302: Did you ever attend a children's party and see the little dears play Copenhagen?
The boys seem to have an instinctive knack at kissing their partners.

  1911 _Life_  (Aug. 31) LVIII 360: I then play Copenhagen with some girls twenty-one years of age...of whom I am passionately fond.

  JL

Stephen Goranson <goranson at DUKE.EDU> wrote:
  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Stephen Goranson
Subject: Re: "play Copenhagen"
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Quoting Jonathan Lighter :

> "Copenhagen" isn't in OED. The meaning is not clear.
>
> 1846 _Knickerbocker_ XLVII 405: Elly is a real blonde beauty: and
> neither of them seem [sic] likely to scream on the stair-case, or
> play Copenhagen.
>
> JL

Just guessing, but wouldn't "play Copenhagen" mean sing there in
concert rather
than play a game named Copenhagen?

Stephen

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