Snip-Snap-Snorum facts for kids
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| Origin | England |
|---|---|
| Type | Matching |
| Players | 2+ |
| Cards | 52 |
| Deck | French |
| Play | Clockwise |
| Card rank (highest first) | A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 |
| Playing time | 5 min. |
| Random chance | Low |
| Related games | |
| Slapjack | |
Snip-Snap-Snorum, also known as Snip-Snap-Snorem, is a fun card game where players try to match cards. It's often played by kids and has been around for a long time. People have been playing this game since at least the 1700s! It was first mentioned by an English writer named Frances Burney. The game likely came from an older game played by adults.
Contents
How to Play Snip-Snap-Snorum
There are a few ways to play this game. The most common way uses a full deck of 52 cards, like the ones used in Whist. Any number of players can join in.
First, all the cards are dealt out, one by one, to each player. The player who starts the game (often called the "eldest hand") picks any card from their hand. They place this card face-up on the table.
Then, each player takes turns trying to match the card that was just played. If you have a card that matches the rank (like another King if a King was played), you play it. As you play your matching card, you say one of these words in order: "Snip!", "Snap!", or "Snorem!".
Here's an example:
- Player 1 plays a King.
- Player 2 plays another King and says "Snip!".
- Player 3 plays the third King and says "Snap!".
- Player 4 plays the fourth King and says "Snorem!".
If it's your turn and you don't have a matching card, you can't play anything. The player who plays the fourth matching card and says "Snorem!" gets to start the next round. They pick any card from their hand to begin.
The goal is to get rid of all your cards first! The player who runs out of cards wins. For every card the other players still have, the winner gets a point.
Different Ways to Play
Earl of Coventry
This version is very similar to the main game. The biggest difference is that you don't keep score with points. It's just for fun to see who wins first.
When playing the fourth matching card, players say a special rhyme. For example, if a 6 was played:
- The first player might say, "There's as good a 6 can be."
- The second player says, "There's a 6 as good as he."
- The third player says, "There's the best of all the three."
- The fourth player says, "And there's the Earl of Coventry!"
Sometimes, players might even make up a new rhyme each time they play the fourth card!
Jig
Jig is a bit different from Snip-Snap-Snorum. In Jig, you don't match the card's rank. Instead, you try to play the next higher card of the same suit. For example, if a 5 of Hearts is played, the next player would play a 6 of Hearts. The Ace is the lowest card, and the King is the highest.
The first player plays any card and says "Snip." The next players who can continue the sequence say "Snap," "Snorum," "Hicockalorum," and "Jig." The player who says "Jig" then turns over the five cards played and starts a new sequence.
If no one can play the next card (maybe because a King was just played, or the next card is already out of the game), the last player says "Jig." That player then gets to start the next round with a new card. Just like in the main game, the first player to get rid of all their cards wins points from the other players.
Niddy-Noddy
Niddy-Noddy is an older version of the game from a place called Suffolk in England. Any number of people can play. All the cards are dealt out to the players.
The first player plays a card and says, "There's a good card for thee." They pass the card to the player on their right. The next person who has a card of the same rank says, "There's a still better than he," and passes both cards along. The player with the third matching card says, "There's the best of all three." Finally, the player with the fourth matching card says, "And there is Niddy-Noddeee!" This player wins all the cards played in that round and gets to start the next one.
Sometimes, the last line is changed to "and there's the Lord Mayor of Coventreee!"
Schnipp-Schnapp-Schnurr-Burr-Basilorum
This is a longer version of the game played in Germany. In this game, Kings are not "stop" cards. After a King, the sequence continues with an Ace, then a Two, and so on.
This game has been played since at least the 1800s. It was once called Schnipp Schnapp Schnurr Apostolorum, which was later shortened to Baselorum. In some versions, players must start a round with either a Seven or a Jack.
