Australian Word Map

red rover

a running game played at school with as many children as possible running form one side of the asphalt as possible. Someone was in and had to catch another person to be in. Schools always ban this game saying it is too dangerous. However children still play it at my school today in inner city Sydney. I grew up in Brisbane in the 1960s: Let's play red rover while the teacher's not looking. Compare British bulldog, bullrush, cockylora.

Contributor's comments: I seem to recall when living in Victoria (Melbourne) that "all over red rover" was used to describe something that was well & truly completed, or in particular to footy "it was all over red rover by half time".

Contributor's comments: Definitely used widely in QLD.

Contributor's comments: We used to play "red rover" at Coolabunia State School near Kingaroy Qld. One person began in the middle and had to catch others as they run from one side to the other. As people were caught they stayed in the middle and helped to catch others. We had great fun as children playing this game.

Contributor's comments: Red Rover was played in the school yard when I attended primary school in Adelaide in the 1950s & early 1960s. I suspect it is much more widespread than just Sydney. Not sure if it is still played in Adelaide schools.

Contributor's comments: Like Kiss Chasey, I am sure this regionalism is not limited to the east coast. I recall playing Red Rover when I was in primary school (mid-to-late 70s) in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. Thought you'd like to know.

Contributor's comments: We used to play Red Rover in Victoria too.

Contributor's comments: Sounds like what we used to play at school in NZ. Except we called it "Bull Rush"

Contributor's comments: This game was known as British Bulldog in Melbourne. However, it was also called 'Fish' at my school after it was banned and was then played in secret at a different location.

Contributor's comments: We played the same game at my school in Melbourne in the '50's; except we called it "British Bulldog". Have no idea why.

Contributor's comments: I've played this game in Tassie, so it's not just a NSW term.

Contributor's comments: [Brisbane informant] I played this in primary school, between 1976-1979

Contributor's comments: [Brisbane informant] A number of people I know use the phrase: "All over, red rover" to announce the end of something (e.g. an event, a relationship, a game).

Contributor's comments: This term was used for the described game where I grew up in Fremantle in the early 1960's.

Contributor's comments: Red rover was played vigorously and often in my schooldays in Adelaide. Variations included a rougher version called 'British Bulldog' where the runner was picked up and dumped when caught, and a hopping version we called 'Hoppo Bumpo'.

Contributor's comments: [Sydney informant] We called this Bullrush.

Contributor's comments: As a Boy Scout in the Sydney suburb of Cheltenham we played the same game under the name of British Bulldog, but this may have been peculiar to the Scouting movement.

Contributor's comments: I think the name had something to do with the cry "cross over, red rover" played almost every lunch time at schools in NW NSW.

Contributor's comments: We used to play this in the Hunter Valley, too!

Contributor's comments: I was brought up in the central west of NSW at Forbes and we called this game Red Rover Cross Over, but I've also heard it called British Bulldog but I can't remember where that was.


Contributor's comments: This sounds suspiciously like British bulldog (also listed on Wordmap) which we played in Vic. in the 50s.

Contributor's comments: Red Rover was played during physical education (PE) lessons at my suburban Adelaide school in the 1980s. 'It' would stand in the middle and call players with a certain characteristic (clothing, etc.) to cross, but when 'it' called "All over red rover!" every player had to cross.

Contributor's comments: I've never heard this game called "cockylora" before. It was always called "Cross over Red Rover" and played in the street or down the park when I was young.

Contributor's comments: When I was in primary school (30 years ago) in Toowoomba, British Bulldog and Red Rover were different games, similar in principle, but British Bulldog was the version in which one tackled the players in order to capture them. Red Rover was the 'touch' version of British Bulldog. I don't remember any objection from the school authorities about either form of the game, but for health reasons I preferred Red Rover.

Contributor's comments: Growing up in Sydney, I knew this game as cockylora, and have never heard it referred to by the other names listed.

Contributor's comments: British Bulldog was played on a grand scale at my school in the 1960's. The description of 5 - 20 boys should be in this case about 100. British Bulldog involved tackling the player to the ground. Red Rover was also played which involved just tagging the player. At my school I recall that Red Rover was played when girls were in the line up.

Contributor's comments: Red rover was played at Toowong Primary in the 1950's. There was an equally boisterous game called bedlam with similar rules.

Contributor's comments: Red rover was still being played when I was a primary school student in Adelaide in the 1980's.