Knock, knock, ginger (also known as ding, dong, ditch and ring and run in the United States) is a prank or game dating back to 19th-century England, or possibly the earlier Cornish traditional holiday of Nickanan Night. The game is played by children in many cultures. It involves knocking on the front door (or ringing the doorbell) of a victim, then running away before the door can be answered.[1]

The name knock, knock, ginger, “knock down ginger” or knocky door ginger, used in parts of Southern England, is attested at least as early as 1967, in an English poem found in the "Childhood in Poetry" collection:

Ginger, Ginger broke a winder
Hit the winda – crack!
The baker came out to give 'im a clout
And landed on his back.[2]

Name variations

The game in various forms is known by different names geographically, including the following:

Europe

North America

Oceania

Africa

South America

Asia

Legality

Victims of this prank are not likely to call the police, but if they decide to, the prankster can face charges of trespassing and disturbing the peace. In England and Wales, trespassing is a civil matter rather than a criminal one, and the police will not compile a case for a victim. However, under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847, it is a criminal offence to "wilfully and wantonly disturb any inhabitant, by pulling or ringing any door bell, or knocking at any door" punishable with up to 14 days' imprisonment.[31][32] In Scotland, although the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 establishes universal access rights, the so-called "right to roam" is only permitted where the privacy of others is respected. Such errant behaviour could be regarded as the Scottish common law criminal offence of "malicious mischief".

Michael Bishop, a 56-year-old man in Louisville, Kentucky, shot at a group of children playing ding dong ditch at his house on 13 June 2011. A 12-year-old boy was hit in the back with a shotgun blast and "the boy was taken to Kosair Children's Hospital with what police call non-life-threatening injuries". The shooter was charged with attempted murder.[19] On 8 December 2015, his final day in office, outgoing Kentucky governor Steve Beshear issued 197 pardons,[33] including a pardon for Michael Bishop.[34]

A 14-year-old Oklahoma teenager, Cole Peyton, was shot in the back and arm while playing "ding dong ditch" in the early hours of New Year's Day of 2016.[35][36]

Dean Taylor, a 63-year-old coach and former San Francisco Police Department officer, was arrested following an incident involving an 11-year-old boy who rang his doorbell in San Rafael, California on 12 February 2021. After two boys rang his door and ran, Taylor chased the boys in a vehicle, cut off one of the youths and emerged from the car. Then he allegedly grabbed one 11-year-old boy by the neck, pushed him to the ground and forced him into his vehicle. He drove the terrified boy around the block, and allegedly told the boy that he would "put a bullet in his head" if the prank happened again. He dropped the boy off near Point San Pedro Road and Loch Lomond Drive, and police were called. Taylor faces felony charges including kidnapping, making criminal threats, false imprisonment, battery and child endangerment.[37]

A California man, Anurag Chandra, 42, faces several murder charges for his role in the Temescal Canyon Road crash on 24 January 2020. After one of the boys had been dared, all six teenagers drove to a nearby home on Mojeska Summit Road in Corona, about 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The boy rang the doorbell and returned to the 2002 Prius that they were riding in, and the group took off. Chandra, who lives at the home, chased after them in his 2019 Infiniti Q50. His car rammed into the back of the Prius, causing it to veer off the road and into a tree. Daniel Hawkins, Jacob Ivascu and Drake Ruiz, all 16-year-old passengers, were killed in the crash. The 18-year-old driver and two other boys, ages 13 and 14, were injured but survived.[38] In 2023, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.[39]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Opie, Iona Archibald; Opie, Peter (2001). The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren. New York Review of Books. ISBN 9780940322691. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  2. ↑ John MacKay Shaw (1967). Childhood in Poetry. ISBN 9780810304796. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  3. ↑ "Origins of: Knock down ginger". 25 July 2021.
  4. ↑ "Hull Daily Mail". 3 November 2018.
  5. ↑ "Kevin Brennan MP".
  6. ↑ "Prank". January 2019.
  7. ↑ "Prank". January 2019.
  8. ↑ Belletje trekken, Retrieved 2015-11-02
  9. ↑ ""Knock and nash" nuisance". Cwherald.com. 29 February 2008. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  10. ↑ Black, Claire. "Interview: Sue Lawrence, home cook". The Scotsman. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  11. ↑ "Dictionary of the Scots Language :: SND :: Chickie-mellie n. comb".
  12. ↑ "Dictionary of the Scots Language :: SND :: Chap v.1". www.dsl.ac.uk.
  13. ↑ Williams, Craig. "Article: Remembering Two Man Hunt, Chappy and the other games Glasgow kids played on the streets, Glasgow Live". Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  14. ↑ Ltd, Not Panicking. "h2g2 - Knocking on Doors - a How-to Guide - Edited Entry".
  15. ↑ "This 82-year-old Dublin granny was almost caught rapid doing a knick-knack".
  16. ↑ "Cherry-knocking turns to theft of OAPs' doorbells". Gloucestershire Echo. 5 June 2012. Archived from the original on 1 July 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  17. ↑ Country Doctor. Constable & Robinson Ltd. 7 February 2013. ISBN 9781472107992. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  18. ↑ "Hljóp uppi ungling sem var að gera dyraat".
  19. 1 2 Daniel Kemp (14 June 2011). "Police: Boy Playing Ding-Dong Ditch Shot in Back". Wlky.com. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  20. ↑ Aimee Ortiz (24 January 2020). "'Doorbell Ditch' Prank Led to Crash That Killed 3 Teens, Officials Say". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  21. ↑ Chris O'Connell (23 August 2023). "Delaware state trooper accused of assault; teen hospitalized with serious injuries". FOX 29 Philadelphia. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  22. ↑ "Nicky nicky nine doors definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary". Collins Online Dictionary. 26 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  23. ↑ Clough, Alexandra (23 February 2010). "Family of boy shot and killed during ring-and-run prank near Boca may never see settlement after shooter files bankruptcy". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  24. ↑ "Stupidshow.com: on joue à sonne-décriss". La Presse. 2 May 2007. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  25. ↑ Johnstone, Eloise (13 September 2012). "Clowning around can end in tears". Bendigo Advertiser. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  26. ↑ "tok-tokkie | Definition of tok-tokkie in English by Oxford Dictionaries". Oxford Dictionaries | English. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  27. ↑ "Diccionario Chileno / Definición de: Rin-rin raja". Diccionario Chileno. 4 January 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  28. ↑ "Juego Tradicional (Colombia): Tín tín, corre corre. - ppt descargar". slideplayer.es. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  29. ↑ "Definition of 벨튀 in Korean". NAVER Dictionary. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  30. ↑ "「ピンポンダッシュ」の意味や使い方 わかりやすく解説". Weblio辞書. 3 August 2022.
  31. ↑ "Town Police Clauses Act 1847". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  32. ↑ Forsyth County, Georgia, USA is very strict on trespassing, and Disturbing the Peace and "Ding Dong Ditch" (their version of this) is considered a crime in that county, and the fine is $100.
  33. ↑ "Gov. Beshear's 197 pardons include Louisville man charged with shooting 12-year-old boy in 2011". wrdb.com. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  34. ↑ "Victim's family 'outraged' after man who shot 12-year-old boy is pardoned". wrdb.com. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  35. ↑ Whigham, Nick. "Cole Peyton shooting, Obama forces through gun control". news.com.au. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  36. ↑ Blakinger, Keri (2 January 2016). "Oklahoma honor student, 14, shot in the back while playing 'ding dong ditch' - NY Daily News". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  37. ↑ "Retired SFPD inspector faces felony charges in Marin County after prank escalates". 18 February 2021.
  38. ↑ Ortiz, Aimee (25 January 2020). "'Doorbell Ditch' Prank Led to Crash That Killed 3 Teens, Officials Say". The New York Times.
  39. ↑ Medina, Eduardo (16 July 2023). "Man Who Crashed Into Teens After Doorbell Prank Gets Life in Prison". The New York Times.
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