Quis-ego
Encyclopedia
The cultural convention of quis-ego, found among students in primary and secondary
schools in England
and other members of the Commonwealth
, is a way to distribute free or unwanted goods. A person with something he wishes to give away shouts "quis?" ; the first person to reply "ego" gets it. The words are simply a direct use of Latin vocabulary, the question quis? asking "who?" (i.e., "who wants it?") and the response ego affirming "I [do]!"
When the game is played by children who have not yet been taught the word "quis", it is possible that its use has "filtered down" from older students http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.british/msg/a3ab353ef497c964?dmode=source; or it may simply be a corruption of a different word. As the teaching of Latin at the secondary school level declines in the Commonwealth, the practice of quis-ego may disappear, although it was still widespread in the late 1980s and early 1990s in schools where Latin was part of the curriculum, and use in the 21st Century has been recorded.
Variants of quis-ego exist. In particular, a modification allows the person replying "ego" to retract his demand by saying "d"; the person shouting "quis" may also declare "no 'd's". A game, then, arises, in which quis-ego is played with a repulsive or otherwise undesirable object.
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
schools in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and other members of the Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
, is a way to distribute free or unwanted goods. A person with something he wishes to give away shouts "quis?" ; the first person to reply "ego" gets it. The words are simply a direct use of Latin vocabulary, the question quis? asking "who?" (i.e., "who wants it?") and the response ego affirming "I [do]!"
When the game is played by children who have not yet been taught the word "quis", it is possible that its use has "filtered down" from older students http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.british/msg/a3ab353ef497c964?dmode=source; or it may simply be a corruption of a different word. As the teaching of Latin at the secondary school level declines in the Commonwealth, the practice of quis-ego may disappear, although it was still widespread in the late 1980s and early 1990s in schools where Latin was part of the curriculum, and use in the 21st Century has been recorded.
Variants of quis-ego exist. In particular, a modification allows the person replying "ego" to retract his demand by saying "d"; the person shouting "quis" may also declare "no 'd's". A game, then, arises, in which quis-ego is played with a repulsive or otherwise undesirable object.
External links
- Quis-ego in British-American slang dictionary
- Quis-ego in the "Dosco lexicon" (The Doon SchoolThe Doon SchoolThe Doon School is an independent school located in Dehradun in the state of Uttarakhand in India. Established in 1935, it was founded by Satish Ranjan Das. Its first Headmaster was Arthur E...
, Dehra Dun, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
)