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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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conkers
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Children's game played with a horse chestnut (the conker) threaded on string. Each of two players takes it in turn to swing his conker at the opponent's, held suspended as a target, until one or other conker is shattered. Each conker carries with it a score, being the number of previous victories. The game was originally played with snail shells, crushing two against each other until one broke, and the chestnuts have borrowed their name from these original conkers (from the schoolroom Latin concha, meaning shell).
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