Doesn’t the phrase “playing hooky” suggest that “hooky” is some kind of game? And if so, what are the rules? How do you win? Well, some might argue that just skipping out on school is enough of a win (although that explanation will get you after-school detention for sure). But it turns out that hooky really does have rules, and you probably already know them—you just don’t recognize the name. That’s because hooky comes from the Dutch word hoekje, which what you call the game “hide-and-seek” in the Netherlands. The children of Dutch settlers played this in the American colonies in the 17th century, but it wasn’t until the 19th century, though, that teachers and parents became the unwilling participants on the “finding” end of the game.
3 Comments
I believe this is the first book description I’ve ever read which provides no clue as to the contents of the book. F in marketing. If you sell even one of them, I’ll consider it proof of P.T. Barnum’s axiom.
Hi John,
This blog post is actually a part of our Uncommon Knowledge series, in which we share a bit of little-known trivia. The post isn’t intended to be a description of the actual product, rather a fun, informative story about something uncommon. If you’d like to learn more about the F in Exams book, please visit the item page here: http://flowslowly.com/product/f-in-exams
You can learn more about any of our products featured in Uncommon Knowledge by clicking on the photo of the item at the top of the post or by clicking on the link in the product name at the bottom of the post.
We’re sorry for the confusion and hope you’ll check out our Uncommon Knowledge posts in the future.
Cassie | UncommonGoods
I was thinking the exact same thing as John. Was interested in it for my nephew who is off to college this fall but, since the description tells me nothing about what’s inside the book, I won’t be buying it.