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↑Antony-over n, exclam
Also pronc-spp Antney-over, Antny-over, atni-over and simplexes Antony, Antny[Prob of Scots origin though earliest quot is US: cf EDD, SND]chiefly sAppalachians See MapNote: Antony-over is a now uncommon form for the game most commonly called anti-over n. The shouts accompanying this game are generally the same as its name, and they share the same regional distributions. For common forms and varr of both the game and the shouts, see Andy-over, Annie-over, anti-i-over, anti-over n; for less freq varr see also Andrew-over, ankety-over, and DS EE22, 23a.
A As noun.
A children’s game in which a ball is thrown over a building to a player or players on the other side. The name of the game is usually shouted as the ball is thrown.
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- 1872 Schele de Vere Americanisms 579, Antony Over, a game of ball played by two parties of boys, on opposite sides of a schoolhouse, over which the ball is thrown. Used in Pennsylvania. Antony is merely a proper name, . . and Over requires no explanation.
- a1883 (1911) Bagby VA Gentleman 15, You don’t know how . . to play “Ant’ny over.”
- 1897 KS Univ. Qrly. 6.85, Ante over or ant’ny over: name of a children’s game.
- 1899 (1912) Green VA Folk-Speech 67, Antony over. . . A game of ball played by two parties of boys on opposite sides of a house, over which the ball is thrown.
- 1899 Ade Doc’ Horne 118 Chicago IL, Why, he and the alligator moved the dresser out from the wall and began to play ‘ant’ny over’ with my eye.
- 1908 Fox Lonesome Pine 168 KY, The games were new to June, and often Hale would stroll up to the school-house to watch them—Prisoner’s Base, Skipping the Rope, Antny Over.
- 1915 DN 4.180 swVA.
- 1952 Brown NC Folkl. 1.36, ‘Ant’ny Over’. . . game played at several schools in Avery county during the fall of 1917.
- 1965–70 DARE
- Qu. EE22
- 23 Infs, chiefly sAppalachians, Antny-over; NC17, 23, Antony-over; NC22, Antony; KY7, Atni-over.
- 1969 DARE Tape
- KY41, We always called that Antny-over. We’d get on one side with something, usually a yarn ball . . with a little somethin’ in the middle [that] would make it bounce and we’d throw it over and when we’d get ready to throw, we’d holler “Antny,” the one that had the ball. The other one on the other side’d say “over,” and they’d throw the ball over. . . If we caught the ball when it came over, then we had a right to run around to the other side. . . If we got over to the other side and could touch them, they had to come to our side then.
B As exclamation.
1 In the game of : the phrase called out when the ball is thrown over the building.
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- 1946 PADS 6.4 VA, NC, Antney over . . The full expression: “Antney, antney, and over she goes.” . . Common among teen-age children.
- 1952 Brown NC Folkl. 1.36 NC (as of 1917), A member of the group having the ball calls, “Ant’ny!” someone on the other side then cries, “Over!” The first speaker calls out, “Over she comes!” and throws the ball over the roof.
- 1965–70 DARE
- Qu. EE23a
- 14 Infs, chiefly S Midl, Antny-over; WV1, 5, 13, Antny; NC22, Antony; GA72, “Antny.” The other side hollers “Over!”; GA77, “Antny.” The fellow on the other side says “Over!”; NC17, 22, Antony-over.
- 1966 Wilson Coll. csKY, [The] thrower shouted “Ant’ny,” receiver shouted “over,” then threw it [=the ball] back and shouted “Here she comes” or “Here comes.”
- 1969 DARE Tape
- KY41, When we’d get ready to throw, we’d holler “Antny,” the one that had the ball. The other one on the other side’d say “over,” and they’d throw the ball.
2 also Antny back: =pigtail exclam a.
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- 1967 DARE
- Qu. EE23b, . . If you fail to get the ball over the building and it rolls back, what do you call out?
- Inf GA72, Antny; GA77, Antny-back.