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Tponetom
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Username: Tponetom

Post Number: 278
Registered: 06-2007
Posted on Sunday, March 23, 2008 - 7:42 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Italian Tutelage Needed, Tponetom
1. Easter Sunday always brings back bitter sweet memories. It was 1945. The war was ending. Ermie’s Italian family was having an Easter party of sorts. Many of the neighbors gathered in the backyard. A simple game was being played by the adults.
A hard boiled egg was placed on the ground against the side of the house. The player had to pitch a ‘nickel’ (like in money) at the egg. If he failed to stick his nickel in the egg, his nickel stayed on the ground. There might be five or ten or more ‘innings’ before some lucky contestant stuck his nickel and he would win all of the nickels laying on the ground.
Ermie was beside himself when his father ‘stuck the egg’ and won all the money.
My question: Is there an Italian name for that simple game???????

2. There was another Italian related game that we kids learned at the age of ten or so. Two contestants would face each other . Their right arms were placed behind their backs with a clenched fist. At the count of three, each contestant would throw his fist out and expose one, two, three or four fingers, and at the same time call out an Italian number like uno, due, tre or as high as otto. To win, you had to call the correct total of both hands that were showing. If I showed three fingers and my opponent showed two, and I called “cinque” (five), I won.
We bet one penny at a time. (Thumbs were not used.)
My question: What was the name of that game??????????
P. S. Yes, I can count from one to ten in Italian. (Dieci, sometimes I forget.

The third game was a card game. We called it “Seven and A Half.” The quirk was this. The King of Diamonds was the only “wild” card. It was called the “La Motz.) (Phonetically)
I think the game was played like present day Blackjack. Instead of ‘21' you had to hit 7 ½.
My question: What is the correct spelling for La Motz????
Also: Am I correct with my reference to “21.”?????????

The bittersweet thing? ,
A short time later, Ermies’s dad died. He was in his forties. Our whole gang was stunned.
Father’s do not die at that early age, or so we thought. A few weeks after that Ermie came over to my house and asked me if I would do a favor for his mother. I was the only kid that had his own car, a ‘31' Hupmobile. Mrs. O. wanted to go to Mt. Olivet Cemetery to put some flowers on her husbands grave. I said, of course I would, and we did.
Fast Forward to 1963. My father died suddenly,,,, thankfully. Two weeks later I received a beautiful letter of condolence from Mrs. O. She said she would never forget the kindness of my giving her a ride to the cemetary.
I am not a Bible fan, but I do like some of the quotations, like, “Cast your bread upon the waters.” (I am not sure that came from the Bible or not, but it fits.)
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Jams
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Username: Jams

Post Number: 7983
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Sunday, March 23, 2008 - 10:48 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Nice twist.

Many of us enjoy your "rememories" and the way you express them.
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Ray1936
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Username: Ray1936

Post Number: 2897
Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Sunday, March 23, 2008 - 11:31 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

"The third game was a card game. We called it “Seven and A Half.” "

This haunter of casinos has never heard of Seven and a Half, Tp. Sorry. I don't hear much of 21, either....for me, it's usually 22. :-)
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Eriedearie
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Username: Eriedearie

Post Number: 1129
Registered: 08-2007
Posted on Monday, March 24, 2008 - 4:48 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Tponetom - I checked with my Italian authority about the games you remember - here is what he had to say:

Regarding the egg game - he's never heard of it. Perhaps it came from a different part of Italy from where he was born.

The hand count game is called "Mora."

He recalls the card game being named "Seti e menzo" - meaning 7 1/2 but does not know the correct spelling. He didn't mention anything about the reference to 21 though.

Hope this helps to trigger thoughts from some others on the forum. BTW that egg game sounds like fun to play.
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Gianni
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Username: Gianni

Post Number: 347
Registered: 05-2004
Posted on Tuesday, April 01, 2008 - 5:08 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I remember the card game "sette e mezzo." We used to play it on Christmas eve. It was played with Italian cards, not American ones. I don't remember the rules, probably the face cards were "mezzo" (half) and maybe there was a wild card. It was basically like blackjack. One player would be the dealer and the others would hold or ask for more cards until they went over 7 and a half. If you hit exactly 7 and a half you won and got to be dealer.

"Motz" sounds like some kind of dialect for "mezzo."
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Tponetom
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Username: Tponetom

Post Number: 289
Registered: 06-2007
Posted on Tuesday, April 01, 2008 - 5:29 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Gianni:
You revived my gray matter. Yes, sette for seven and mezzo for a half in the sense that 'mezzo' is halfway between a soprano and a contralto.
The spelling of my phonetic 'La Motz' may have been La Mezzo. Most of my pals were Italian but only two of them were fluent in the language.

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