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tiggy


A chasing game where one child is in or it or up and has to catch another child and tag them: The kids were playing tiggy on the quadrangle. Compare chasey, chasings, tag, tig, tip2.

Contributor's comments: I'm from Perth, where kids use 'chasey' instead, however on a recent trip to Melbourne I discovered that all the kids there called the game tiggy instead.

Contributor's comments: I grew up in Western Victoria and used to play tiggy at school.

Contributor's comments: Tiggy touchwood?? Is this the same game as 'tiggy'? Australian Rules football commentators use the expression all the time 'tiggy touchwood' to indicate a suspect decision, and I believe it was a game kids played in at least the South West WA?

Contributor's comments: Definitely used in Melbourne.


Contributor's comments: Not only QLD. We always called it tiggy in Melbourne and along the Murray in the 1940s-50s.

Contributor's comments: Exactly this definition applied in the Latrobe Valley of Victoria in the 1950s and 1960s. The person chasing was "it".

Contributor's comments: [ACT informant] As a child we used to play this game, however we called it "tip", and had a safe place called "bar", which in our case used to be one of the sides of the brick wall of the school library.

Contributor's comments: Tiggy was the invariable name for the chidren's chasing game in Melbourne and northern Victoria in 40s and 50s. And, from it, the adult expression to express doubt: "If he's a serious golfer (trained carpenter, etc.) then I'll go for the tiggy."

Contributor's comments: Tiggy was the only 'chase' type game played at all in Melbourne when I was growing up.

Contributor's comments: I grew up in Ballarat, Victoria, in the 60's and this was the only name we ever used for 'chasing games'.

Contributor's comments: We used 'tiggy' and 'chasey' interchangably at school in Melbourne in the 1980's. It usually depended on the game being played - eg either 'off-ground tiggy' or 'kiss chasey' or 'gang tiggy'.

Contributor's comments: I grew up in the Riverina, where we played "chasey". I have only heard of 'tiggy" since living in Melbourne.

Contributor's comments: In this area (2714) chasey and "tiggy" were similar games but with a slight change to the rules. Chasey could be played all over back yards and playgrounds, with one player chasing the others till they were caught. "Tiggy" was played from a home base such as a front gate, verandah post, telegraph pole etc, and a player chased others while defending the "home base". Those caught stood aside to wait till games end, those who made it "home" hit the home base and called out "tiggy touch wood, one, two, three, HOME!!"