Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1976 (SND Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
CANE, n. Sc. usage with def. art.: the name of a children's game (see quot.).Dmf. 1969 I. & P. Opie Children's Games 104:
The mother goes into a shop, and the children creep up as close as they dare to hear what she is buying. She asks the shopkeeper for household goods, such as a dustpan and brush, a mop, and some washing-powder. Then she asks the shopkeeper for ‘a cane to beat the children with’. The children turn and run for home with the mother chasing after them. In Langholm the game is called ‘The Cane’.
