On a recent trip to the dollar store, two of my daughters made it to the checkout in record time. (Usually, spending their two dollars takes a great deal of deliberation.) What was their immediate choice? Marbles. It brought me back to many a rainy day playing marbles inside as a kid, or outdoors as a more sedate activity.
Before we launch into any specific games, there are a few finer points of marble terminology to go over first. Some seem pretty basic, but for those unacquainted with the finer points of marbles, here’s a handy, non-alphabetized glossary. The words are arranged in order of importance to the game.
MARBLE: A standard marble is round and made of glass. It’s usually 5/8ths of an inch in diameter. The design possibilities are endless, although the most popular is the “cat’s eye” with a swirl pattern in clear glass.
SHOOTER: A shooter is the “offensive” marble. Shooters can be made of any substance except metal, and are usually a little bit bigger than the others, usually ¾ of an inch.
KNUCKLNG DOWN: The act of resting a knuckle, or knuckles on the ground when shooting.
SHOOTING: The act of holding a shooter between the thumb and first finger and then releasing the marble by flicking the thumb.
HUNCHING: The act of moving the hand forward across the ring line (if there is one). This move is illegal.
HISTING: the act of raising the hand from the ground while shooting. This is also illegal.
FOR FAIR: The act of playing for sportsmanship only, in other words, all the players get to keep their marbles. Often the winner takes all the marbles involved in a game.
KEEPSIES: A game designation in which the winner gets to keep all the marbles involved, usually with the exception of the shooter, although there are high stakes games involving shooters as well.
LOFTING: The act of shooting in an arch through the air to hit a marble. It’s only allowed in certain circumstances.
BOWLING: The act of rolling a shot on the ground without knuckling down.
With this terminology in mind, you’re ready to learn the most popular marble game, ringer.