Bad egg is a children's playground ball game played in Great Britain and other countries.
One player is chosen as the 'Bad Egg' and turns their back to the other players. 'Bad Egg' then asks the others to each name something from a particular group (for example, each player is to name a colour, or a sports team, etc.). Once each player has answered, the 'Bad Egg' throws a tennis ball over their shoulder, and shouts out one of the answers that had been given by the other players. All players, except 'Bad Egg', run in different directions and the person whose answer was shouted out has to run after the ball, and calls "stop" when they retrieve it.
On hearing the word "stop," all players, including the one who went after the ball, remain stationary. All players, except the one with the ball, stand with their legs apart. The player with the ball then attempts to roll it under the legs of one of the other players. If successful, that player becomes 'Bad Egg'. If unsuccessful, the player who retrieved the ball becomes 'Bad Egg'.
Famous quotes containing the words bad and/or egg:
“With all of its bad influences, T.V. is not to be feared.... It can be a fairly safe laboratory for confronting, seeing through, and thus being immunized against unhealthy values so as to be “in the world but not of it.””
—Polly Berrien Berends (20th century)
“If there was one egg in it there were nine,
Torpedo-like, with shell of gritty leather,
All packed in sand to wait the trump together.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)