[Ads-l] monkey in the middle (1952)

[Ben Zimmer]

On Mon, Jan 27, 2020 at 12:04 PM Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:

> Never heard of "monkey in the middle," before. However, like Mark, I am
> unfortunately familiar with "keep-away" from my early grade-school years,
> During The War, ca.1943-1945.
> BTW, is monkey in the middle a variant of "man in the middle"?
>

I believe it's actually a variant of "pig(gy) in the middle." OED3 has
examples for "pig in the middle" from 1887, though from the definition it
sounds like the game started off much rougher: "A children's game in which
one player is encircled by others and must attempt to escape; a chasing
game in which players must cross from one side of an open space to the
other without being stopped by an opposing player; (now chiefly) a ball
game, usually for three players, in which the middle player tries to
intercept the ball as it passes between the other two. Also: the player in
the middle in any of these games."


On Mon, Jan 27, 2020 at 12:52 AM Mark Mandel <markamandel at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I do not like the memories this brings up in me.
> >
> > I knew the expression all too well as a schoolboy in New York in the
> 1960s.
> > After school some of my classmates would play this "game" (also called
> > "keep-away") with my hat or other possession snatched from me, yelling
> > "Monkey in the middle!" as they threw my property to each other over my
> > head and I ran frantically between them, trying in vain to reach one of
> > them before they could throw it out of my reach.
> >
> > MAM
> >
> > On Sun, Jan 26, 2020, 6:08 PM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > The children's game "monkey in the middle" is in OED3 (Sept. 2002
> update)
> > > from 1980. Here are some cites from New Jersey newspapers in the '50s.
> > >
> > > ---
> > > https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43065809/monkey_in_the_middle/
> > > Belleville (NJ) Times, July 24, 1952, p. 6, col. 6
> > > Mrs. Virtue, one of our directors, made up some five bean bags, and
> > taught
> > > us the game "monkey in the middle." It sure has had great success and
> is
> > > enjoyed by youngsters of all ages.
> > > ---
> > > https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43065650/monkey_in_the_middle/
> > > Verona-Cedar Grove (NJ) Times, July 28, 1955, p. 2, col. 5
> > > Despite the heat wave the children seemed to have quite an active week
> on
> > > the Forest Avenue playground. Although checkers, kings, Chinese
> checkers.
> > > Mad Maze, Lucky Shot and horseshoes were the most popular, there were
> > still
> > > some badminton, softball, dodge ball, spud and Monkey in the Middle
> > games.
> > > ---
> > > https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43053896/monkey_in_the_middle/
> > > Courier-News (Plainfield, NJ), June 11, 1957, p. 25, col. 1
> > > More than 200 children and their parents participated in the annual
> > picnic
> > > and field day of the Hebrew Institute held Sunday at Green Brook
> Park...
> > > Awards in games were as follows: Relay -- Jay Cherlow, Jack Ruden,
> Larry
> > > Sletzinger, Joel Taub, Jonathan Lippman, Mark Hitzig, Marilyn Siegel;
> nut
> > > potato race, Jay Lichtenstein; Monkey in the Middle, Joy Herzog...
> [etc.]
> > > ---
> > > https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43059206/monkey_in_the_middle/
> > > The Millburn & Short Hills (NJ) Item, July 11, 1957, p. 6, col. 4
> > > The middle age group have a variety of games: volley ball, relay races
> > > (which are very exciting), giant steps, monkey in the middle, red
> light,
> > > red rover, and checkers. The wee ones have two favorite games, which
> they
> > > play constantly: Simon Says, and Duck, Duck, Goose.
> > > ---
> > >

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