childhood games

Barlow for me! Yes, Ana we had a similar thread last year.

We said barley. As I seem to have said before!

JoMarie where I come from 'exies' was a ball game which involved throwing a ball against a wall and catching it while standing in 6 different positions. One was throwing the ball from behind your back (backsies.)
If you were good at that you progressed to '2 ball exies'.

I've never heard of these. I had a nomadic childhood and everywhere we went the familiar games had different names and rules. The strangest place was Stockport where I felt utterly alien as the children spoke a completely different language.

I'm now quite 'worried' that I was saying 'veinites' when I should have been saying 'fainites'

I remember saying 'fainites', although I sort of imagined I was saying 'Feign knights' meaning 'pretend we're knights', I don't know why. I've always lived down south.

"skinch" like Hildajenni. In Northumberland.

We used to use "fainites". Never seen the word written down before, looks odd! When we lived in Kent that was. Will try and remember what we used in Derby, currently escapes me.

I still have a copy of the Opie's book The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren. It was written 50 years ago. I knew the games and words they talked about, but it was disappearing when my children played, and I think has altogether gone now what with electronic games

Not heard of any of those expressions - the only one I can think of was "exies" which together with crossed fingers, gave some time out - I always assumed it meant excuse me but who knows? Only worked if your friends liked you though and wanted to give you another chance.

this is a better definition

We used to cross our fingers and say "skinch". It meant a sort of time out during the game, so you couldn't be caught. I've never heard of the others.

That is a totally new word for me - but according to Wikipedia it is a south to middle England term so clearly didn't get as far as north of the border! I love learning a new word so now have to find an excuse to use it.

Fainites was used a lot during run outs and hide and seek.

We used to cross our fingers and say 'vienites' so similar

I haven't heard that one anniesgrannie , but I remember 'barleys" which meant that you had to cross your fingers with this one. It meant that you were exempt or 'safe'.