vernacular.

Molloys Spitballs

• Molloys Spitballs is a game for one player and is played on long walks or wanderings.

• Requirements: A coat with four pockets; a square of blank paper; a pencil; a pair of scissors.

• Divide the square of paper into a grid of sixteen squares. This is done by folding the paper in half four times.

• Write down the words “Molloys Spitballs” across the squares, with each letter occupying an individual square.

• You may write the words in either title case or uppercase – the former is more common.

• Cut out the squares. 

• You will be left with sixteen pieces, each with a letter on it.

• Mix the pieces well – letter side down – and divide into four groups consisting of four pieces each.

• Place each group in one of your four pockets.

• The aim of the game is to spell out the words “Molloys Spitballs” in the right letter order – by picking random pieces from your pockets.

• To start you will need to pick the letter ‘M’.

• If you pick correctly, you stop the piece in your mouth, chew it into a ball, and store it to the side of your mouth. And so on with correct picks.

• If you pick incorrectly, you stop the piece back in the same pocket and pick another piece from any pocket. And so on with incorrect picks.

• As the game progresses and the incorrect picks accumulate, the challenge will be to remember which pockets contain which letters.

• A further challenge, near the endgame, will be the large amount of paper balls at the sides of your mouth, which makes it difficult to chew the final pieces you stop in. 

• The game is complete when all sixteen paper balls are in your mouth, having arrived in the right order.