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Tip cat, also called ONE-A-CAT, is an outdoor
game dating back at least to the 17th Century. It was introduced to North America and elsewhere
by English colonists. The game was widely popular in 19th-century Great Britain and in
early 20th-century North America.
Although there are many varieties of the
game, all involve a stick about 3 ft (1 m) long used as a bat, and a piece of wood (the
cat) about 4 in. (10 cm) long, 1 to 2 in. (2.5 to 5 cm) thick, and tapered at the ends.
The cat is placed on the ground, struck at one end to propel it upward (tipping the cat),
and then slammed with the stick as far as possible. In one version, the batter tries to
round the bases, as in baseball, before the fielder retrieves the cat and throws it back
to home base. If a batter misses the cat three times or if a fielder catches it on a fly,
the batter is out. Earlier versions of the game are based on guessing the distance that
the cat is hit, scoring points according to the number that comes up on a four-sided cat,
and running from base to base on a large circle while the cat is being retrieved. Some
authorities consider tip-cat a forerunner of baseball and cricket.
(www.britannica.com)
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