People Divided Over Game Where You Knock On Someone’s Door And Run Away

Being a kid was brilliant. Free food, free clothes, no student debt… actually, no responsibilities whatsoever, and you could hang out with your mates whenever you wanted.

One way kids throughout the ages have whiled away the hours is by knocking on neighbours’ doors and running away, watching from afar as the unsuspecting victim rushes to open the door only to find no one on the other side.

Oh, it’s an absolute riot.

But while many of us will at one time or another have played it, what was it actually called? You’d think that’s a simple question, but as one former child found out, it’s really not.

Writing on Twitter, they asked: “When you were younger what did you call it when you knock on someone’s door and run away?”

Giving the correct answer, one person said: “Knock a door run.”

Others, however, had different names for it, some of which just make no sense at all.

“Knock down ginger,” replied one.

Who’s ‘ginger’ and why are you knocking them down?

Again, not a clue what’s going on here. Apparently, it’s another word for ‘knock’.

“Ding, Dong, Ditch,” said a third.

Can’t really argue with that to be fair.

Another proposed: “Thunder and Lightning.
Rap the door like thunder and run like lightning.”

One user said that in County Durham it was called ‘knocky hide oh’, although they didn’t know why and neither do I.

Meanwhile, a fellow northerner replied that in Sunderland the game was called ‘Knocky 9 Doors’.

And another former player claimed that they used to call it ‘knock and gnash’.

However, others took the opportunity to have a pop at the country’s various delivery services.

One joked: “Hermes delivery.”

While another put: “Today it’s called – Royal Mail Delivery.”

So I guess maybe there isn’t a right answer after all.