Ok, Uncle Cecil & SDopers… What about this one? Everyone has this mental image of scouts helping little old ladies cross the street. Well, I never saw this task in my Scouting Manual. Where does this image come from? Did the Scouts ever help the old ladies cross the street? - Jinx
[channeling Norman Rockwell] Well, It was a cover I did back in …ought something.
Just a WAG
it may well have happened on the odd occasion - to be honest i think it was more a well publicised example of a possible “good deed” that scouts may do.
its one of those horrible nonsensensical images that plagues the scout association - like the fact that you say “scouts” and people automatically say “oh yeah - dib dib dob dob!” (at least they do here in england)
people seem to forget that a large chunk of scouting consists of camping, playing with knives and playing with fire (in a safe way of course) - WOOHOO!
Gareth Edwards
IT Guy
Hertfordshire County Scouts
(England)
Boy scouts were supposed to do a good deed each and every day. Helping old dears through the traffic would be an easy one.
“Dib dib dob dob?” What the hell does that mean?
think it was (probably at the same time as the good deed thing) a shortening of the phrases:
“do your best” (dyb)
and
(we will) “do our best” (dob)
so really it should be “dyb dyb dob dob”
unfortunately, like i say, however long ago it was actually used - people still cling to it as an image of scouting. And i guarantee that anyone in England who you say the word “scouting” to will respond with the phrase:
“oh yeah dyb dyb dob dob!”
and think it incredibly funny and original
not that i’m bitter or anything 
They did they dyb and dob thing when I was in cubs – 1988 or so.
really? then the dyb/dob thing is the aussies fault!
waves to small army of angry ex-scouts
GET 'IM GUYS!!!
AFAIK the dyb/dob business originated in the UK and then spread to other countries. But it was always cub scouts, never scouts.
really?
frantically waves at army to come back
actually in seriousness that sound right to me too.