🦴 A small bone 🎲 A tossing game

knucklebone

8.4

A children's game of tossing and catching small stones similar to jacks

noun
/ˈnʌkəlˌboʊn/

: juego de los huesos

During recess, we often enjoyed a fun round of knucklebones in the playground.

Examples

We played knucklebones in the yard, trying to toss the bones as high as we could.
I was too young to be a husband to her, though we would play knucklebones or other children's games.

Fiction book (1999)
That's why Crozie wouldn't wager with me anymore when we played the Knucklebone games.

Fiction book (1990)
The children gathered around to start a game of knucklebones after school.

Synonyms

jacks

vsknucklebone

11 6.4

A children's game where you throw small objects, bounce a rubber ball, and pick them up

is less focused on strict pickup patterns and more general tossing

knucklebones

vsknucklebone

8.9

A children's game of throwing and picking up small objects between bounces of a small ball

is broader focusing on tossing and catching rather than bounce patterns

jackstones

vsknucklebone

9.3

A children's game of throwing and picking up small objects between ball bounces

is more general focusing on simple tossing and catching actions

Surface Forms

knucklebone singular

knucklebones plural

Morphology

knucklebone = knuckle + bone (semi-transparent) = knuckle + bone

The game name derives from the object 'knucklebone' and thus requires cultural or usage knowledge that the game uses such bones.

Etymology

Knucklebone the game got its name from the small joint bone used in play, and knuckle means 'joint'. So thinking of a 'knuckle' bone helps you remember this simple children's game, which is like jacks.