Ticky Touchwood.
Ticky, ticky Touchwood, my black hen,
She lays eggs for gentlemen;
Sometimes nine and sometimes ten,
Ticky, ticky Touchwood, my black hen.
—Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).
Addy (Sheffield Glossary, under “Tiggy Touchwood”) says, “One player who is called Tiggy stands out, and each of the others takes hold of or touches a piece of wood, such as a door, or rail, &c. One then leaves his ‘wood’ and runs across the playground, and if whilst doing so Tiggy can touch him he must stand out or take Tiggy’s place.”
One child is chosen to be “Ticky,” i.e., to be on the qui vive to lay hold of or touch any one who is not touching wood. If played out of doors it must be clearly defined what is wood, trees and all growing wood being forbidden. The fun consists in the bold ventures of those who tempt “Ticky” to run after them, and contrive to touch “wood” just before he touches them. When one is caught he is “Ticky” in turn.—Swaffham, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).
Played within a given boundary, in which were wooden buildings or fences. When one of the players was being pursued by the tigger, if he touched wood he could not be made prisoner, but he was not allowed to remain long in that position, and directly his hand left wood he was liable to instant capture. If when pursued he called out “a barla!” he was again exempt from capture, but he could not move from the position or place where he or she was when they called out, a barla! When wishing to move he had to call out “Ma barla oot!” No den in this game, but constant running.—Biggar (Wm. Ballantyne).
Lowsley (Berkshire Glossary) says, “Boys have games called Touch-wood and Touch-iron, where any one not touching either of the substances named is liable to be caught by the one standing out.”
Ross and Stead (Holderness Glossary) give this game as Tiggy Touchwood, a game similar to Tig, but in which the player must touch wood. It is called Ticky, Ticky Touchwood by Brogden (Lincolnshire Provincial Words), and Tiggy in Addy’s Sheffield Glossary.
Also played in another way. One tree or piece of wood was selected for “Home,” and the players darted out from this saying, “Ticky, Ticky Touchwood,” then running back to the tree and touching it before Ticky caught them. “Parley” or “fainits” were the words called out when exempt.—London (A. B. Gomme).
It is also described in Patterson’s Antrim and Down Glossary.