I'm not sure why the word came to me today as I was talking with a co-worker about washing a water bottle that had been left out overnight, but there I was warning him to be careful because it might "have cooties".
And then this was image that formed in my mind's eye:
Of course. It was the "cooties game" that I played as a child, and maybe it was the first time I had thought of or said the word in a very long time.
In the Internet age, no information is too obscure to locate immediately, and moments later I was reading the history of the game.
Sure: "stay away from her, she might have cooties."
And then this was image that formed in my mind's eye:
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| 1949 first edition of the game. |
Of course. It was the "cooties game" that I played as a child, and maybe it was the first time I had thought of or said the word in a very long time.
In the Internet age, no information is too obscure to locate immediately, and moments later I was reading the history of the game.
"In North American English, children use the word to refer to a fictitious disease or condition, often infecting members of the opposite sex.[7] Among children, the word effectively serves as a device for enforcing separation of the sexes."
Ahh, I used to play that game when I was a kid. Thanks for the memory!
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