Is this game called ''Chinese jump rope" in the US and Canada? If so, is the collocation ''To play Chinese jump rope" natural? Or is it preferable to say ''to play elastics''?
The kids in the picture are playing elastics/Chinese jump rope.
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1It's called double Dutch skipping [UK] or double Dutch rope jumping [US]. And it's very popular in the States expecially with Black American girls. play elastics is a no-go.– LambieCommented May 24 at 13:05
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But then why is it called Chinese jump rope according to Wikipedia? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_jump_rope Also, what would you say then? Play double Dutch rope jumping?– Idk29Commented May 24 at 13:14
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1This seems to be a different game from Dutch rope, and one that I've never heard of in my entire life. My suspicion would be that it's not especially popular in the US, so what it's called is probably not standardized.– YonKumaCommented May 24 at 13:24
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2@Lambie The picture doesn't show a pair of regular jump ropes. It's a single loop of rope held mostly taut, which is not long enough to be swung over and under the jumper. Double Dutch uses two separate ropes which are longer.– Nuclear HoagieCommented May 24 at 15:14
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Yep, it seems to be a different game.– LambieCommented May 24 at 15:22
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1 Answer
No, this is not a common game in the US (or Canada, to my knowledge). I've worked in school and summer camp environments with children and never seen kids playing with the equiptment described in the article:
using a string of rubber bands that has been tied into a circle, usually at least six feet long ("approximately 2 feet in diameter"[8]), or an elastic rope - (this is not common in the US)
This does seem similar to two games which are common among American children:
- Double Dutch Jump Rope - which looks visually very similar but uses non-elastic ropes swung in a continuously moving pattern
- Cat's Cradle - which involves creating crossed string patterns with either elastic or non-elastic string, but the patterns are smaller and held within a player's hands
Game name usage
For the two games mentioned above, here are some examples of how they would be referred to:
Cat's Cradle
- I'm bored, do you want to play Cat's Cradle?
- I don't really know how to play Cat's Cradle.
- We were doing Cat's Cradle when the teacher told us it was time for class.
- Don't throw out that string, it's for Cat's Cradle.
Note the substitution of do for the word play in the third example. American children may not think of Cat's Cradle as a "game" necessarily, since there are no winners/losers and there is no set end. Instead, in some contexts it may be seen more as an "activity." So it's common to hear the words play and do used interchangeably. This is also true for jump rope games.
Double Dutch
- After school do you want to come to my street for Double Dutch?
- I don't like jump rope, especially not Double Dutch.
- We'll be doing Double Dutch at lunchtime.
