preadolescent "tortures"

[Peter Farruggio]

What about the card game called "nucks" (for "knuckles")?  I forget
the content of the game, but after each round the loser had to hold
out his fist, knuckle side up, while the winner whacked down on the
knuckles several times with the edge of the deck of cards.  The
number of "nucks," or whacks had something to do with the point
differential between winner and loser, and skillful players could
make that deck come down pretty hard and direct the sharp edge right
onto the edge of the knuckles.  Some players came away bleeding from
a few losing rounds.

Also, there was "pink belly"

Pete Farruggio



At 10:47 AM 9/30/2006, Geoffrey Nunberg wrote:
>I've been trying to dredge up the names of some of the "tortures" we
>inflicted on one another when I was eight or nine. I recall the
>Indian wrist burn (sometimes called the Chinese wrist burn, if memory
>serves, where you twisted your hands around someone's wrists in
>opposite directions), and an Indian scalp something-or-other. And, of
>course, the noogie and wedgie (but did we call it that then?), though
>those were more on the order of opportunistic maneuvers that didn't
>have the deliberate character of the others. Any help appreciated.
>
>Geoff  Nunberg
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org