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    [OC] Mapped - what do Britons call the game where you knock on someone's door and run away?
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    [OC] Mapped – what do Britons call the game where you knock on someone’s door and run away?

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    44 Comments

    1. mattsmithetc on

      I hadn’t thought about this in ages, but for me it’s “knock UP ginger”, and I can’t tell if that’s a true memory based on the first half of my childhood in South Yorkshire, or if it’s something I’ve Mandela Effect-ed in as a result of going to uni in Hull, where “knock up” is the term for knocking on a door

      The most common answers in the UK overall are “knock down ginger” (25%) and “knock a door run” (21%) – but as the map shows, it’s highly dependent on where you live

      There’s also a generational shift taking place – while the over-70s are most likely to use “knock down ginger” at 41%, this falls with age to just 15% of 18-24 year olds. Younger generations are more likely to use “knock a door run”, and the youngest adults in particular have started using “ding dong ditch”, an American import

      Full details here: [https://yougov.co.uk/society/articles/51544-is-it-knock-down-ginger-or-knock-a-door-run](https://yougov.co.uk/society/articles/51544-is-it-knock-down-ginger-or-knock-a-door-run)

      Tools – datawrapper and Adobe Illustrator

    2. Uncle_Icky on

      In typical America style ****many outdated people**** in the US call this “N word knocking” Embarrassing to say the least.

      Edit – seriously down voting? I dont call it that you assholes. Jesus get a grip!

    7. Chriseybear on

      Haha thanks for this, very cool seeing the differences in area. It’s been a while since I’ve thought about knock and run.

    12. LassyKongo on

      This is really interesting. I’m in east midlands, in a town where lots of Scottish came to work in steel works. I’ve never heard chap door run be called any of those options, we used to always call it chappie. 

      So it must’ve traveled down with the Scottish.

    14. Howtothinkofaname on

      Grew up in the southwest, always thought cherry knocking was more universal than it apparently is.

    15. AilsaLorne on

      Wait, in Northern Ireland people call it Belfast?! Or has something gone wrong with the data fields there?

      ETA — or a terrible pun … ?

    16. harv31 on

      Millenial born to South Asian immigrants in a very multicultural part of London: We called it knock-a-dolly (which I just googled and apparently it’s used in Ireland)

    19. cbren88 on

      I’m from Co. Antrim and was called ‘Thunder & Lightning’ 99% if the time, other the occasional weirdo calling it ‘Belfast’.

    23. carl84 on

      North West England here and I’d only ever heard of “Knock a door run” until it became an internet thing and everyone called it “Knock down ginger”

    28. Palindromey on

      Where I’m from in Australia we always called it “knock and run”.

      I had no idea there were so many other names for it!

    30. MaxSupernova on

      Regardless of the actual data, the callouts only pointing to a few of the regions is a bit weird, imo.

    32. D_C_Ember on

      I guess I come under the “Knock a Door Run” but just “Knock Door Run” the ‘a’ seems redundant.

    33. bonhommemaury on

      From Hartlepool in the North East and yep, knicky knocky nine doors is what we would call it….

    34. Inaksa on

      The closest here (Argentina) would be ringing a bell and running so not literally knocking the door. And that activity is called ringraje (raje is a slang for “to leave fast”)

    36. gearnut on

      It was knocky knocky nine door in the NE when I grew up, not convinced YouGov did a good job of this one…

    37. Skellyhell2 on

      I’m north west and its always been Knock and Run where I live.
      I wouldnt mind some “theft and shrubbery” though

    38. Itchy-Astronomer9500 on

      I only ever referred to it as ding dong ditch and only ever heard others say the same. However, I do love the Belfast word play in Northern Ireland

    39. FrankieTheAlchemist on

      Born in England, live in USA, I’ve only heard Ding Dong Ditch and honestly some of these are the laziest sayings I’ve ever heard.  I expected better than “knock and run”.  Tragic.  You might as well call Trick Or Treating “knock and ask for candy”ing.  Embarrassing.

    40. striped_frog on

      > Knock a door run

      If the Yorkshiremen had their way, you’d call soccer “get a ball kick”

    42. Miszou_ on

      40+ years ago in Southampton (UK) me and my friends called it “Thunder and Lightning”.

      Make a noise like thunder, then run like lightning.