“Calling dibs” is like an informal declaration that you (the person calling dibs) are claiming something for yourself before it’s actually available. Dad’s bringing home Indian food? You “call dibs” on the samosas (meaning, you’re letting everyone else know that you want the first crack at them). On your way home from Sunday dinner at Mom’s house and there’s a football game you want to watch on TV? Tell your wife you’re “calling dibs” on the TV, so she doesn’t put on some home improvement show or whatever.
This British-American YouTuber notes how he’s been affected by Chicago’s informal/formal method of “calling dibs” on freshly-cleared (of snow) parking spots on the street by putting up a chair on the street. NOTE: He hates it and thinks it sucks, as does everyone else in Chicago (or so I’m led to believe).
Is this a thing in your culture, and if so, what’s it called?
ETA: My grandparents called it “calling kings.” As in, we’re driving home from bingo, and Grandma had to pee, she’d loudly tell everyone in the car “kings on the bathroom when we get home!”
Huh. Funnily, it appears that they do a sort of opposite thing in Australia. At least, if what’s shown on Bluey is true. Dad will be driving home with a car full of wife and kids, and he’ll say “someone needs to take the trash out when we get home,” and everyone will say “bags not!” (the equivalent, I guess, of “not it!).
Also in the US, besides ‘calling dibs’ on something, there’s also ‘calling’ something. Example, you’re all in the family car driving home, and you’re all talking about watching some favorite show on TV that you all want to watch, and someone will say, “I call the blue recliner”.
So “I’ve got dibs on the blue recliner” is equivalent to “I call the blue recliner”. Another way of doing the same thing.
So yeah, like the OP asks, how’s this done in other places or cultures?
To my understanding, the chair-in-the-parking-spot thing is claiming a spot that you yourself have hand-cleared with a shovel. If that’s true then it makes more sense.
Calling dibs on a spot you didn’t clear yourself seems like it ought to be a citable offense IMO. If you have a car, occupy it. Otherwise don’t go making claims.
I hate it, but it’s pretty routine on the Southwest Side, and I’ve never heard anyone bitch about it. It’s just part of the “culture,” I guess. I suspect attitudes may vary by neighborhood. I believe they do this in Pittsburg, too. So we have that and our fondness for the word “jagoff” in common.
This is not necessarily true and not at all obvious. Regardless of how much they might hate it, people will participate in a flawed system solely to avoid being disadvantaged by it. Even if they hate the system, their refusal to claim a spot early is not going to effect change unless they can get everyone else to stop doing it as well–which they can’t. Their moral stance and refusal to claim a spot will only put them at a disadvantage. It won’t improve anything. Classic Game Theory.
Perhaps Dad prefers the kids argue about stuff, just like in your culture.
Why Dad wants the kids to argue about samosas instead of existential philosophy, football, or how to best set your neighbour’s house on fire is weird, but parents think in misterious ways.
“Bags” would be the most common term here, in my assessment. And “Bags not”
“Dibs” is familiar, but can’t recall a usage of “Dibs not”
“Shotgun” has a more specific usage of wanting the passenger side front seat in the car.
A reference suggests that the local vernacular includes “Bars” & “Bars not” but that’s not familiar to me.
I remember “bags” from my childhood. Used as a verb like “I bags the chocolate ice cream” or “he bagsed the good seat”. Hadn’t thought of it for the best part of 50 years until I read this thread. No idea what kids say nowadays.
That maybe wasn’t a great example for food. Think of an assortment or variety pack of slightly different items- say a variety six pack of cereal. Two kids each call dibs on the Lucky Charms - whoever is left has to choose between Cheerios and Apple Jacks
