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Kick the
Can
Kick the can is a game,
related to tag, hide and seek, and capture the flag which can be
played outdoors, with as many as three to a few dozen players,
usually children.
In general the game
goes something like this: One person (possibly a team of people) is
(are) designated as "it" and a can (paint can or metal pail
(bucket)) or similar object is placed in the open (usually the
middle of a backyard,a green, a cove or cul de sac, parking lot or
very lightly traveled street).
The other players run
off and hide while the "it" covers his or her eyes and counts to a
previously decided number.
"It" then tries to find
and tag each of the players. Any player who is tagged (caught and
touched) is sent to the holding pen (jail) which is simply a
designated area for all the captured players to congregate,
generally in plain sight of the can. Any player who has not been
caught can "kick the can" (thus the name of the game). If they can
kick the can without being caught then they set all of the captured
players free.
If "it" catches all of
the players he or she wins that round and generally a new "it" is
designated for the next round.
Thus this game is one
of skill, strategy, and stealth as well as
fleetness.
On a side note:
Alle, alle auch sind frei!
The phrase can also be
used to coordinate hidden players in the game "kick the can", where
a group of children hide within a given radius and a "seeker" is
left to guard a can filled with rocks. The seeker has to try to
find the "hiders" without allowing them to sneak in and kick the
can. In many areas the phrase used is "Ally Ally In Come Free"
which is a way to tell all hidden that is time to start the game of
trying to get in to the can without being caught. Given the German
translation above, "Olly Olly Ox I'm Free!," called out as a
successful hider sneaks in and kicks the can, makes sense as well
since the kicking of the can sets all the captured players free.
Another phrase that has a similar meaning and possibly similar root
is "come out, come out, wherever you are," which has been used in
many famous movies, including The Wizard of Oz (see Ding-Dong! The
Witch Is Dead), The Shining, Cape Fear, and Star Trek:
Insurrection. Also, the phrase is used in Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s novel
Mother Night. Additionally, this phrase is used for kids when
throwing a ball back and forth over the roof of a house, fence, or
other tall object. One child stands on each side of the tall object
so that they are unable to see one another. Then, the child with
the ball yells "Any Any Over" and throws the ball over the object.
This alerts the other child that the ball is coming so that he can
catch the ball before it hits the ground. If he throws the ball
yelling "Any Any Over" and the ball fails to clear the obstacle,
the thrower yells "Pigtails" so the catching party knows the ball
is not coming.
In fact, Alle, alle
auch sind frei! directly translated means "All, All are
Free!"
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