# Do people play wishbone outside the US? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 28, 2012, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-play-wishbone-outside-the-us/617027 "2012-03-28T05:42:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-play-wishbone-outside-the-us/617027/21 "2012-03-28T16:19:48Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > And I will be making a pot roast chicken tomorrow, from a whole bird. I doubt that my husband and I will play the wishbone game, though. The cats will wish for chicken, and their wish will be granted by my husband. Mom used to tell me to never give chicken bones to cats because they can splinter and be dangerous. Is that just an old Mom’s tale? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-play-wishbone-outside-the-us/617027/22 "2012-03-28T16:36:52Z")
I’ve been told by a vet tech that he sees a lot of cats with splintered poultry bones in them. Sometimes your mom knows a thing or two. The cats don’t get chicken (or turkey, or duck) bones, they just get the meat. Sometimes they get the organs, if my husband isn’t here…if my husband is at home, though, he wants the liver and gizzard and heart. He’s half Cajun. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-play-wishbone-outside-the-us/617027/23 "2012-03-28T16:38:50Z")
I once played this as a team game. My brother and I were on one side, and my sister and aunt were on the other. My brother and I came up with a special strategy. When it came time to pull, we’d crouch down. Apparently my sister and aunt had the same strategy. That must have looked pretty funny. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-play-wishbone-outside-the-us/617027/24 "2012-03-29T00:36:10Z")
The OED has citations for _merrythought_ (=_wishbone_) going back to 1598. Interestingly, the citations include two explanations for why this bone is so-called: 1. From around 1697: _“'Tis called the merrythought, because when the fowle is opened, dissected, or carv’d, it resembles the pudenda of a woman.”_ 2. From 1708: _“For what Reason is the Bone next the Breast of a Fowl, &c. Called the Merry-thought‥? The Original of that Name was doubtless from the Pleasant Fancies, that commonly arise upon the Breaking of that Bone.”_ The “pleasant fancies” referred to in 1708 could refer either to the sexual connotations suggested in the earlier quote, or the wish-making custom already discussed in this thread. _Wishbone_ doesn’t turn up until 1860, and the OED suggests that it was American in origin. Wild speculation here, but it could be that _merrythought_ functioned to some extent as a _double entrendre_, and the univocal _wishbone_ was coined and adopted in a fit of Victorian-era bowdlerisation. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-play-wishbone-outside-the-us/617027/25 "2012-03-29T00:52:00Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > Wild speculation here, but it could be that _merrythought_ functioned to some extent as a _double entrendre_, and the univocal _wishbone_ was coined and adopted in a fit of Victorian-era bowdlerisation. Or it could reflect the hypocritical puritanism of a neopaternalistic society. Heh heh, “bone”. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-play-wishbone-outside-the-us/617027/26 "2012-03-29T01:19:22Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Where I grew up it’s not a game as such, but your wish is granted if you have the bigger piece. Theoretically. By an unspecified and unreliable higher power. Presumably it’s the same unspecified higher power who grants the wishes you make before blowing out the candles on your birthday cake? ---
**Author:** ![newme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e0b2c6/32.png) [@newme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newme)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-play-wishbone-outside-the-us/617027/27 "2012-03-29T01:34:20Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > The OED has citations for _merrythought_ (=_wishbone_) going back to 1598. Interestingly, the citations include two explanations for why this bone is so-called: > > _Wishbone_ doesn’t turn up until 1860, and the OED suggests that it was American in origin. > > Wild speculation here, but it could be that _merrythought_ functioned to some extent as a _double entrendre_, and the univocal _wishbone_ was coined and adopted in a fit of Victorian-era bowdlerisation. I’m guessing this happened around the time the[euphemisms “dark meat” and “white meat” came into favor?](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Euphemism#Euphemisms:_sex_and_anatomy) ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-play-wishbone-outside-the-us/617027/28 "2012-03-29T02:09:13Z")
Anglophone Canadian. This is a familiar custom. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-play-wishbone-outside-the-us/617027/29 "2012-03-29T02:59:58Z")
One time when I “won” a wishbone pull, I wished for a spot on the internet to tie together all the answers to all the questions in the Universe. I called it “The Straight Rope”. \*The next time I won, I asked for flying bars. So…ya know… -D/a ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-play-wishbone-outside-the-us/617027/30 "2012-03-29T03:12:05Z")
If you want to have some fun, confiscate the next wishbone and place in a jar filled with vinegar. Cap the jar tightly, and set aside for several weeks. The bone will be turned to a rubbery state, and you can then tie a knot in the wishbone! ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-play-wishbone-outside-the-us/617027/31 "2012-03-29T04:19:11Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Presumably it’s the same unspecified higher power who grants the wishes you make before blowing out the candles on your birthday cake? Or the one that hangs around fountains and wells full of coins. There’s a short story in that, I reckon. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-play-wishbone-outside-the-us/617027/32 "2012-03-29T04:32:37Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Mom used to tell me to never give chicken bones to cats because they can splinter and be dangerous. Is that just an old Mom’s tale? I believe (IANAVet) that raw bones are okay, cooked bones are not. Better safe than sorry, I reckon. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-play-wishbone-outside-the-us/617027/33 "2012-03-29T04:55:51Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > If you want to have some fun, confiscate the next wishbone and place in a jar filled with vinegar. Cap the jar tightly, and set aside for several weeks. > > The bone will be turned to a rubbery state, and you can then tie a knot in the wishbone! Then put in a jar with a solution of baking soda and water, and you can harden it back up again. ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-play-wishbone-outside-the-us/617027/34 "2012-03-29T17:51:11Z")
Another Canadian chiming in: Did it as kids, but only turkeys. We were unduly excited with anticipation waiting for the thing to dry out on the windowsill until that magical day. But we have not passed this on to our kids. Not sure why - just an omission. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-play-wishbone-outside-the-us/617027/35 "2012-03-29T18:17:48Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Heh heh, “bone”. 😉 You wish! ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-play-wishbone-outside-the-us/617027/36 "2012-03-29T18:37:14Z")
I’ve never heard it called “merrythought”. Maybe that’s a British thing? ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-play-wishbone-outside-the-us/617027/37 "2012-03-29T18:55:01Z")
It may have been in the past, but not any more, I don’t think. I’ve never heard “merrythought” either. But wishing on the wishbone after drying it out on the kitchen windowsill was part of my childhood. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-play-wishbone-outside-the-us/617027/38 "2012-03-29T19:15:23Z")
It was against the rules to put your thumb on the top (union?) of the wishbone during the pull. And we always put it on our kitchen windowsill too. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-play-wishbone-outside-the-us/617027.md?page=1)