—Halliwell’s Nursery Rhymes, cccx.
This is acted by two or more girls who walk or dance up and down, turning, when they say “Turn, cheeses, turn.”—Halliwell.
I remember playing this game, but my remembrance is very imperfect. As far as I remember, there were two lines or rows of children. They danced forwards and backwards, crossing to the opposite side, and turning round. At the words, “Turn, cheeses, turn,” the cheeses all turned round rapidly and then sank on the ground. The players tried to inflate their dresses as much as possible, and then stooped down to the ground, so that the dress remained inflated; only the head and shoulders surrounded by a ball-like skirt then appeared, intended to represent a cheese. All joined hands and danced round at the end. The lines sang were the same as the [Leicester] except the third, which was—“Some a penny, some a groat, turn, cheeses, turn.” It was necessary for skirts to be very “full” to make good cheeses—as wide at the waist as at the bottom of the skirt.—(A. B. Gomme.)
Holland (Cheshire Glossary) says, a frequent amusement of girls is making cheeses. They turn round and round till their dresses fly out at the bottom; then suddenly squatting down, the air confined under the dress causes the skirt to bulge out like a balloon. When skilfully done the appearance is that of a girl’s head and shoulders peeping out of an immense cushion. Evans’ Leicestershire Glossary mentions this game. He says, “The performers sing a song of which the refrain is ‘Turn, cheeses, turn,’ but I do not remember to have heard the example cited by Mr. Halliwell-Phillips.”—Percy Soc., iv. p. 122.
I always understood that the green cheeses were sage cheeses—cheeses containing sage. Halliwell says, “Green cheeses, I am informed, are made with sage and potato tops. Two girls are said to be ‘cheese and cheese.’”
Turn Spit Jack
A game at country balls, &c., in which young men compete by singing for their partners in the next dance.—Patterson’s Antrim and Down Glossary.
Turn the Ship
This is commonly a girls’ game. Two join hands and trip along, with hands crossed, turning from one side to the other, and crossing their arms over their heads without letting go their hold of each other, singing at the same time—
Tip, tip, toe, London, lo!
Turn, Mary Ann, and away you go.