# As a kid, did you used to "call out" your friends to get them to come outside? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 27, 2011, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258 "2011-08-27T02:44:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258/43 "2011-08-29T15:31:39Z")
Yes, all the time, during the 70s, in France, in a rural area. Not very relevant in this American thread, but I had forgotten that. Thanks for the memories. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258/44 "2011-08-29T15:52:03Z")
No way. But I would yell at them if they were already outside. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258/45 "2011-08-29T17:05:39Z")
> [@Ronald\_C.Semone](#): > > Absolutely! I’d forgotten all about that, but in my neighborhood in Worcester, Mass. in the '40s and '50s that’s what you did until you were 11 or 12. After that age you just went to the place where your friends were usually hanging out. Ditto for suburban Rhode Island, early 1960s. Typically it would sound like: HEY–TIMM–EEEE where the “EE” would drop by about a third (e.g., from a C to an A) in the middle. ---
**Author:** ![Pixel\_Dent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Pixel\_Dent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixel_Dent)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258/46 "2011-08-29T17:16:34Z")
All the time in New Jersey in the 1970s ---
**Author:** ![limegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@limegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/limegreen)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258/47 "2011-08-29T17:21:56Z")
Never in southern Illinois in the late 60’s. Good way to get reamed out by an irate German woman. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258/48 "2011-08-29T19:21:45Z")
When I was a kid, “calling someone out” was an invitation to a fight-one of those silly, young male rituals about status. ---
**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258/49 "2011-08-29T19:35:24Z")
I grew up in Florida and we did this. We’d stand outside the door and yell. Reason, we didn’t want to talk to the adults ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258/50 "2011-08-29T19:36:39Z")
Waaaaariors, come out to plaaaay … clink-clink-clink … Waaaaariors, come out to plaaaay … (Or alternatively, _Twisted Sister, come out to plaaaay…_) ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258/51 "2011-08-29T21:26:45Z")
After introducing her to a certain late 50s/early 60s sit-com, my youngest daughter has taken to yelling: HELLOOOO, MR. WILLLLSONNNNNNN! ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258/52 "2011-08-30T07:22:26Z")
> [@AndyLee](#): > > Reason, we didn’t want to talk to the adults Exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258/53 "2011-08-30T08:51:50Z")
We did this a bit. I had one friend who had a grouchy dad who would often refuse to let my friend out if asked formally (“no, not till he’s tidied his room!”) but who never particularly saw fit to exercise control if not specifically asked. And yelling my friend’s name (which I might have done for some other friend) had the same effect. So we had a system. I’d just go outside on the road and bounce a ball noisily on the pavement. And my friend would come out. ---
**Author:** ![Hogfather65](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7bcc69/32.png) [@Hogfather65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hogfather65)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258/54 "2011-08-30T11:00:16Z")
Did that all the time - grew up in Glasgow, Scotland - was not climbing up 3 flights of stairs when a shout would do the trick… ---
**Author:** ![artfulholly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@artfulholly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artfulholly)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258/55 "2011-12-08T20:53:02Z")
I grew up in sub Detroit ( JOy rd - Telegraph area) late 1960s and we always did that. I was just sending a christmas card to a friend from that time and we were wondering if that was just a local custom. SHAROOOOON…SHAROOOOOON ! ---
**Author:** ![mikkyle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f4b2a3/32.png) [@mikkyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikkyle)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258/56 "2012-11-22T06:01:01Z")
Yes, I just remembered that last week. All us kids in the late 50s and 60s in Chicago would yell outside our friend’s house, “Yo-o-o-o-oh Greg” (or whoever), in a sing song way for the yo-oh, up and down. We never went to the door until early teens. It was the accepted way, rarely did a parent get mad. I moved to California in 1970 and haven’t been back east since. I wonder if kids in the Midwest and on the East-coast still do this today. That would be awesome. Mike ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258/57 "2012-11-22T15:29:40Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > Me and my best friend both had bells by our window and fine nylon wire that went down to the yard. Seemed like a good idea at the time. That…is genius. We called _ON_ our friends, as in, walked down the street (by yourself!), knocked on the door and asked if they could come out. It was known as “calling on”. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258/58 "2012-11-22T15:42:37Z")
We did that with a lot of our friends, some we would knock on the door, it kind of depended on the house. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258/59 "2012-11-22T16:26:57Z")
No, I just went over and asked if they could come out and play. Deja vu, anyone? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258/60 "2012-11-24T02:56:39Z")
I had a weird ritual in my youth. When I wanted my neighbor-friends to come out, I would just go shoot hoops in our driveway, which was visible to their house. I’d go over and knock if there was a special reason, but I always hated the idea of “imposing” for just casual hangin’ out. It was normally a very functional system, but there were a few times where I would get into a bout of nervous anxiety where I really wanted company but really didn’t want to knock on their door, so I’d stay outside practicing free throws for over an hour. …I was an odd kid. Also, my time spent practicing to skill at shooting ratio proves that talent DOES matter. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258/61 "2012-11-24T03:16:46Z")
I grew up in a suburb east of Cleveland OH in the late 50s early 60s. “Calling a kid out” meant you were looking for a fight. However, we also did do this name calling in that sing-song voice mentioned, but we’d never refer to it as “calling a kid out.” And like others have mentioned, kids and close neighbors came to the back door. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258/62 "2012-11-24T03:19:43Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Waaaaariors, come out to plaaaay … clink-clink-clink … Waaaaariors, come out to plaaaay … It’s not often that I get ninja’d by almost three months. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-a-kid-did-you-used-to-call-out-your-friends-to-get-them-to-come-outside/594258.md?page=4)