See “[Teetotum].”
Leap Candle
The young girls in and about Oxford have a sport called “Leap Candle,” for which they set a candle in the middle of a room in a candlestick, and then draw up their coats into the form of breeches, and dance over the candle back and forth, saying the words—
The taylor of Bicester he has but one eye,
He cannot cut a pair of green galagaskins
If he were to die.
This sport, in other parts, is called “Dancing the Candlerush” (Aubrey’s Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme, p. 45). Halliwell (Rhymes, p. 65) has a rhyme—
Jack be nimble,
And Jack be quick,
And Jack jump over
The candlestick,
which may refer to this game. Northall (Folk Rhymes, p. 412) says in Warwickshire a similar game is called “Cock and Breeches.”
Leap-frog
One boy stoops down sideways, with his head bent towards his body, as low as possible. This is called “Tucking in your Tuppeny.” Another boy takes a flying leap over the “frog,” placing his hands on his back to help himself over. He then proceeds to a distance of some four or five yards, and, in his turn, stoops in the same manner as the first boy, as another frog. A third boy then leaps first over frog No. 1, and then over frog No. 2, taking his place as frog No. 3, at about the same distance onwards. Any number of boys may play in the game. After the last player has taken his leap over all the frogs successively, frog No. 1 has his turn and leaps over his companions, taking his place as the last in the line of frogs. Then No. 2 follows suit, and so on, the whole line of players in course of time covering a good distance.—London (G. L. Gomme).
Leap-frog is known in Cornwall as “Leap the Long-mare” (Folk-lore Journal, v. 60), and in Antrim and Down as “[Leap the Bullock]” (Patterson’s Glossary).