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Aunt Sally

1911 Encyclopedia Britannica

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The English name for a game popular at fairs, race-courses and summer resorts. It consists in throwing hard balls, of wood or leather-covered yarn, at puppets dressed to represent different characters, originally a grotesque female figure called "Aunt Sally," with the object of smashing a clay pipe which is inserted either in the mouth or forehead of the puppet. In France the game is popular under the name jeu de massacre. In a variation of the pastime the mark consists of a living person's head thrust through a hole in a sheet of canvas. In case of a hit a second shy is allowed, or a small prize is given.