Knock Down Ginger: What It's Called Where You Grew Up

One game, about forty names, and everybody is convinced theirs is the proper one. Knock on a door, run away, hide, watch.

Here's what it's called around the UK, and where the strangest name of the lot probably comes from.

The names, by region

• Knock down ginger - London and the south east, and the name most people recognise nationally.
• Knock and run, knock a door run - widespread and the plainest description of it.
• Chappy or chap door run - Scotland, from 'chap', meaning to knock.
• Ring and run, ding dong ditch - increasingly common with doorbells, and the standard name in America.
• Knock out ginger, knockout ginger - variants of the London name.
• Cherry knocking, cherry knocks - the Midlands and parts of the north.
• Knocky nine doors, nicky nine doors - the north east and parts of Ireland and Canada.
• Knock down ginger becomes 'knock down ginger' in Kent, 'knock a door ginger' further west.
• Bobby knocking, bulldog knocking, dolly knocking - scattered local versions.
• Thundering and thunder door - parts of Wales.
• Tick tack - old, and specifically the version played with a pin, a button and a length of thread.

Where the 'ginger' came from

• Nobody knows for certain, which is the honest answer and rarely the one given.
• The most repeated theory is 'ginger' as in gingering up - to liven something up, from an old horse-trading practice of putting ginger under a horse's tail to make it look spirited.
• A second theory ties it to Guy Fawkes, via 'ginger' for gunpowder. There's no strong evidence.
• A third says it's simply rhyming slang or a nonsense word that stuck, which is how most playground names work.
• The London name is recorded from at least the early twentieth century, which puts it well before the doorbell.

The variations that existed

• The classic: knock, run, hide, watch the door open on nobody.
• Tick tack: a button on a thread pinned near a window, tapping the glass from a distance, so you never had to touch the door.
• Knocking every door down one side of a street in sequence, which was the escalation nobody enjoyed.
• The bin lid version, where you found something to hide behind first and chose your door accordingly.
• The scoring version: a point for a door answered, two if they came out to look.

The honest note

• It's a nuisance game, and always was. People answering doors are often elderly, on their own, or expecting bad news.
• Most people remember it fondly and would be furious if it happened to them now, which is worth admitting.
• Repeated knocking at the same house is harassment, and it's dealt with as such.
• It survives in the memory rather than the street, which is probably where it belongs.

Shop cards

How to write it so it lands

• Every region is convinced its name is the original.
• The 'ginger' origin is genuinely unknown - be suspicious of anyone certain.
• Fun to remember, less fun to be on the receiving end of.

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Frequently asked questions

What is knock down ginger?

The game of knocking on a stranger's door and running away before it opens. It's known by dozens of regional names across the UK, including knock and run, chappy, cherry knocking and knocky nine doors.

Why is it called knock down ginger?

Nobody knows for certain. The most common explanation links 'ginger' to the old phrase 'gingering up', meaning to liven something up. Other theories tie it to gunpowder or simply to a nonsense word that stuck.

What else is knock down ginger called?

Knock and run, chappy or chap door run in Scotland, cherry knocking in the Midlands, knocky nine doors in the north east, ring and run or ding dong ditch with doorbells, and thundering in parts of Wales.

What is tick tack?

The older, cleverer version - a button tied to a length of thread pinned near a window, so you could tap the glass repeatedly from a safe distance without going near the door.

Do you sell games or play equipment?

No - we make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. Every game here needs a wall, a ball, a piece of chalk or nothing at all, and the only products on this page are our own cards.