Ring a bull is a
pub game
A pub game is one which is traditionally played inside or outside a pub or bar. Most pub games date back many years and are rooted in village culture. Many derive from older outdoor sports.
Pub games can be loosely grouped into throwing games, ...
. It involves swinging a bull's
nose-ring, which is attached to a string, in an arc so as to hook it onto a bull's nose and hook. It must stay on the hook to count as a successful throw.
There is a vibrant and thriving tradition of playing this game at what is reputedly the oldest pub in
England, ''
Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem
Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem is a Grade II listed public house in Nottingham which claims to have been established in 1189, although there is no documentation to verify this date. The building rests against Castle Rock, upon which Nottingham Cast ...
'' in
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robin ...
, and in several other traditional
public house
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
s.
Caribbean variant
The hook and ring game was adopted by the earlier settlers of the Caribbean islands, where it is also referred to as the Bimini Ring Game. When the hook is attached to a post or pole, the ring can actually be swung behind the hook, catching on the hook as it swings back. If the ring is caught by the hook, the score is two points. If the ring is first swung from behind the hook and it swings back and catches on the hook, the score for the throw is three points.
Reception in Public Media
During episode 49 of ''
Schlag den Raab
''Schlag den Raab'' (, German for ''Beat (the) Raab'') was a live game show that was televised by German television channel ProSieben on Saturday evenings from September 2006 until December 2015. A total of six episodes were produced and broadca ...
'' on the 15 and 16 November 2014 Ringing the bull was played as the 15th game of the evening. It was terminated after about an hour when both participants failed to score a single point.
In episode four of season one of ''
Extant
Extant is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to:
* Extant hereditary titles
* Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English
* Extant taxon, a taxon which is not extin ...
'' Molly's father Quinn (
Louis Gossett Jr.
Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. (born May 27, 1936) is an American actor. Born in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, He had his stage debut at the age of 17, in a school production of '' You Can't Take It with You.'' Shortly after he successfully ...
) uses her
android son (
Pierce Gagnon
Pierce Gagnon (born July 25, 2005) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the film ''Looper'' and in the CBS series ''Extant'', as well as voicing Tim Templeton in the Netflix series '' The Boss Baby: Back in Business''.
Personal life ...
) for gambling purposes by getting him to play Ringing the bull in a bar.
References
{{reflist
* Finn, Timothy: ''Pub Games of England'' (Oleander Press)
External links
Online guide to traditional pub gamesAmerican website selling Ring The BullFree Ring The Bull APP for Android and IPAD
Pub games