# Was it ever a crime to shout the word "celery"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 25, 2015, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-it-ever-a-crime-to-shout-the-word-celery/718530 "2015-04-25T21:17:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bisected8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a4c791/32.png) [@Bisected8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bisected8)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2015, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-it-ever-a-crime-to-shout-the-word-celery/718530/1 "2015-04-25T21:17:49Z")
I read this many years ago in a “Horrible History” book. Googleing for more info/a citation doesn’t seem to have shown up anything but [proof I’m not misremembering.](https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=jNBGBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT22&lpg=PT22&dq=shouting+celery+horrible+histories&source=bl&ots=2Mf4nwPFlz&sig=_b99zcmSfZyO1qpannCY4QktAcE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=fQM8VeP-N8m8ad6VgOgB&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=shouting%20celery%20horrible%20histories&f=false) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2015, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-it-ever-a-crime-to-shout-the-word-celery/718530/2 "2015-04-25T21:25:45Z")
I can’t help making the connection with the Chelsea football fan chant ‘Celery’, although I have no idea if it dates back that far (CFC does, but it seems unlikely that the chant does) [http://fanchants.co.uk/football-songs/chelsea-chants/celery/](http://fanchants.co.uk/football-songs/chelsea-chants/celery/) > **[Chelsea fans warned... drinks, weapons, poles and CELERY banned from...](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2278087/Chelsea-fans-banned-bringing-celery-Sparta-Prague.html)** > > Chelsea supporters have been warned they are not allowed to bring drinks, poles, flares, weapons and CELERY in to Sparta Prague’s stadium on Thursday. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-it-ever-a-crime-to-shout-the-word-celery/718530/3 "2015-04-25T21:30:21Z")
Keep in mind, when you read something stupid like ‘It’s illegal to keep black labs tied to fire hydrants on Tuesday’s in Topeka’, it’s probably illegal to keep any animal (or anything at all) tied to a fire hydrant in Topeka (made up example). So maybe someone just took a regular law and made a super specific example out of it for a “Wacky Blue Laws” book or maybe that was the official complain on the ticket. So, going back to the OP, maybe a kid got a ticket for shouting celery, but maybe the actual law broken was disturbing the peace or selling (produce/celery) without a seller’s permit. I’ll bet if you starting walking up and down block yelling ‘CELERY’ over and over you’d probably get arrested sooner or later too. Probably for disturbing the peace. ---
**Author:** ![dofe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ba0ec/32.png) [@dofe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dofe)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-it-ever-a-crime-to-shout-the-word-celery/718530/4 "2015-04-25T21:46:45Z")
According to this [website](http://www.rhodesfamily.org.uk/yesterdays/1903/03oct03.htm): > [@](#): > > An interesting case, the first of its kind, was brought before the Ashton county justices on Wednesday, in which Jas. TOMLINSON, a celery hawker, was summoned under the county bye-laws made in May of the present year, No 4 of which states that no person shall for the purpose of hawking or distributing any article call or shout continuously in any street so as to cause annoyance to any resident. The defendant failed to appear. > > Evidence was given by a constable that the defendant was shouting celery in the streets and a man named TAYLOR made a complaint. — The Magistrates’ Clerk: was there someone ill or something? No; he not think it was good enough to shout on a Sunday. — It would not have mattered then if it had been Monday? He said it was very annoying. — The magistrates imposed a fine of 2s 6d for costs. So, assuming the information is credible, Joey P’s explanation is probably the most accurate – that is, it’s not necessarily that shouting celery is illegal; instead, the illegality is disturbance of the peace (by calling or shouting continuously in the street as to cause annoyance). ---
**Author:** ![Bisected8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a4c791/32.png) [@Bisected8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bisected8)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2015, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-it-ever-a-crime-to-shout-the-word-celery/718530/5 "2015-04-25T21:51:28Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Keep in mind, when you read something stupid like ‘It’s illegal to keep black labs tied to fire hydrants on Tuesday’s in Topeka’, it’s probably illegal to keep any animal (or anything at all) tied to a fire hydrant in Topeka (made up example). So maybe someone just took a regular law and made a super specific example out of it for a “Wacky Blue Laws” book or maybe that was the official complain on the ticket. > > So, going back to the OP, maybe a kid got a ticket for shouting celery, but maybe the actual law broken was disturbing the peace or selling (produce/celery) without a seller’s permit. > > I’ll bet if you starting walking up and down block yelling ‘CELERY’ over and over you’d probably get arrested sooner or later too. Probably for disturbing the peace. > [@dofe](#): > > According to this [website](http://www.rhodesfamily.org.uk/yesterdays/1903/03oct03.htm): > > So, assuming the information is credible, Joey P’s explanation is probably the most accurate – that is, it’s not necessarily that shouting celery is illegal; instead, the illegality is disturbance of the peace (by calling or shouting continuously in the street as to cause annoyance). That would fit, but the book suggested it was the case in the 1910’s and specifically mentions that it was a “kid’s crime”, and that site mentions 1903 as the year. Is it possible that it set some sort of precedent, or did Terry Deary let me down? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2015, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-it-ever-a-crime-to-shout-the-word-celery/718530/6 "2015-04-25T22:12:58Z")
[http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=CHP19100228.2.26](http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=CHP19100228.2.26) London juveniles The inauguration of “children’s courts” this year has given more newspaper prominence than usual to the criminal child … Other precocious young persons came up to account for such sins as dicing, gambling and the somewhat mysterious offence of “shouting celery,” while street football has many martyrs. 28 February 1910 ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2015, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-it-ever-a-crime-to-shout-the-word-celery/718530/7 "2015-04-25T22:39:59Z")
[Two other cites from 1910](https://www.google.co.uk/search?tbo=p&tbm=bks&q=%22shouting+celery%22&tbs=,cdr:1,cd_min:Jan+1_2+1909,cd_max:Dec+31_2+1910&num=10&gws_rd=ssl) ---
**Author:** ![Bisected8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a4c791/32.png) [@Bisected8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bisected8)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2015, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-it-ever-a-crime-to-shout-the-word-celery/718530/8 "2015-04-25T23:11:51Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > [http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=CHP19100228.2.26](http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=CHP19100228.2.26) > > London juveniles > The inauguration of “children’s courts” this year has given more newspaper prominence than usual to the criminal child … Other precocious young persons came up to account for such sins as dicing, gambling and the somewhat mysterious offence of “shouting celery,” while street football has many martyrs. > 28 February 1910 > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > [Two other cites from 1910](https://www.google.co.uk/search?tbo=p&tbm=bks&q=%22shouting+celery%22&tbs=,cdr:1,cd_min:Jan+1_2+1909,cd_max:Dec+31_2+1910&num=10&gws_rd=ssl) So it really was a thing. O\_o …any idea on why it was an offence? ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2015, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-it-ever-a-crime-to-shout-the-word-celery/718530/9 "2015-04-25T23:28:43Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I can’t help making the connection with the Chelsea football fan chant ‘Celery’, although I have no idea if it dates back that far (CFC does, but it seems unlikely that the chant does) > > [http://fanchants.co.uk/football-songs/chelsea-chants/celery/](http://fanchants.co.uk/football-songs/chelsea-chants/celery/) > > [Chelsea fans banned from bringing celery to Sparta Prague | Daily Mail Online](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2278087/Chelsea-fans-banned-bringing-celery-Sparta-Prague.html) I’m not sure what is stranger to this Yank—that there is a website dedicated solely to football chants (which I never knew were so diverse), or that there is a specific bawdy chant dedicated to celery, meant to be chanted by Chelsea fans while tossing celery onto the pitch. ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2015, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-it-ever-a-crime-to-shout-the-word-celery/718530/10 "2015-04-27T20:58:57Z")
What if you start ranting about celery at airport security? This is apparently so shocking that the clip is not on YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2015, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-it-ever-a-crime-to-shout-the-word-celery/718530/11 "2015-04-27T21:05:53Z")
Its organized crime , right under the noses of gov > **[10:30 P.M. At Center Market. 11 yr. old celery vendor Gus Strateges, 212...](https://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/nclc.03776/)** > > 1 photographic print. | 1 negative : glass ; 5 x 7 in. Celery goes off quicky, so it has to be sold… Looks like Hillary is married to a criminal. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2015, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-it-ever-a-crime-to-shout-the-word-celery/718530/12 "2015-04-27T21:53:32Z")
> [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](#): > > What if you start ranting about celery at airport security? > > This is apparently so shocking that the clip is not on YouTube. Celery for the peppy snappy? If I’m to believe **High Anxiety** they will let you through even if you beep.