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the sense of bluff as blindfold is from 1670, so not "older" than the game as the phrasing suggested
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#REDIRECT [[Blind man's buff]]
{{For|other uses of the phrase "blind man's bluff"|Blind man's bluff (disambiguation)}}
[[Image:Blind mans bluff 1803.PNG|thumb|right|300px|Women playing blind man's buff in 1803.]]

'''Blind man's buff''' or '''blind man's bluff''' is a [[children's game]], a variant of [[tag (game)|tag]]. The traditional name of the game is "blind man's buff", wherein the word ''buff'' is used in its older sense of a small push. The game later also became known as "blind man's bluff"; it is possible that this name is a [[linguistic corruption]], or it may originate from another sense of ''bluff'' meaning to blindfold.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=bluff
|title=Bluff
|work=Online Etymology Dictionary
|last=Harper
|first=Douglas
|accessdate=2010-04-15
}}
</ref>

==Gameplay==
[[Image:Blind-Man's Buff, Paul Jarrard & Sons.JPG|thumb|right|"Blind-Man's Buff", after [[David Wilkie]], Paul Jarrard & Sons, London, 1820s]]

Blind man's buff is played in a spacious area, such as outdoors or in a large room, in which one player, designated as "It", is blindfolded and gropes around attempting to touch the other players without being able to see them, while the other players scatter and try to avoid the person who is "it", hiding in plain sight and sometimes teasing them to make them change direction.

Blind man's buff is ideally played in an area free of dangerous obstructions so that the "It" player will not suffer injury from tripping over or hitting something.

===Versions===

There are several versions of the game:

* In one version, the first player tagged by It then becomes It, and another round of the game is played.
* In another version, whenever any player is tagged by It, that player is out of the game. The game proceeds until all players are out of the game, at which point another round of the game starts, with either the first player or the last player to be tagged becoming the next It player.
* In yet another version, It feels the face of the person tagged and attempts to identify the person, and only if the person is correctly identified does the person become It.

==History==

The game was played at least as far back as the [[Tudor period]], as there are references to it being played by [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]]'s courtiers. It was also a popular [[parlor game]] in the [[Victorian era]]. The poet [[Robert Herrick]] references it in his poem "A New Yeares Gift Sent to Sir Simeon Steward":{{Citation needed|date=August 2010}}

<blockquote><poem>
Of Blind-man-buffe, and of the care
That young men have to shooe the Mare
</poem></blockquote>

==Similar games==

A children's game similar to blind man's buff is [[Marco Polo (game)|Marco Polo]]. Marco Polo is played in a swimming pool; the player who is It calls out "Marco" to which the other players must reply "Polo", thus indicating their positions and making it easier for It to go in the right direction.

==See also==
* [[I spy]]

== References ==
{{Commons category|Blind man's buff}}
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blind Man's Buff}}
[[Category:Children's games]]
[[Category:Tag variants]]
[[Category:Hide-and-seek variants]]

[[bg:Сляпа баба]]
[[de:Blinde Kuh]]
[[es:Gallina ciega]]
[[eo:Blindludo]]
[[fr:Colin-maillard]]
[[it:Mosca cieca]]
[[no:Blindebukk]]
[[pl:Ciuciubabka]]
[[pt:Cabra-cega]]
[[ru:Жмурки]]
[[sv:Blindbock]]
[[ta:கண்கட்டிப் பிடித்தல்]]
[[tr:Körebe (oyun)]]

Revision as of 17:38, 13 November 2010

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