A WORLD-WIDE GAME

New Zealand Tablet, 23 November 1911, Page 2389

A WORLD-WIDE GAME

Kot one in a hundred of the people who in every country of the world play dominoes is aware of the reason why the game bears that particular name A domino was originally an ecclesiastical cloak, black in color, and furnished with a hood. Next, the hood of itself was called a domino. Then a loose garment something like the original cloak, and worn at mas querades, received the name; and, finally, a half-mask worn over the face for purposes of disguise was also termed a domino. The color, black, seems to be the distinctive feature of all these varieties; and as that is the color of the backs of the pieces used in the game they, too, received that nine. So, at least, say the etymologists whose business it is to look into the deri yation of words, and whose conclusions, if not always fnivm ? i T generally final > at least for young folks. While the game of dominoes was unknown if Europe before the middle of the eighteenth century it has since that date, spread over the civilized and indeed some parts of the uncivilized, world.