For instance, the snipe is said to resemble a cross between a jackrabbit and a squirrel a squirrel-like bird with one red and one green eye a small, black, furry bird-like animal that only comes out during a full moon, and so on. Setting the stage for the prank is often done with imaginative descriptions of the snipe, similar to tall tales. In camp life and children's folklore, the snipe hunt provides an opportunity to make fun of newcomers while also accepting them into the group. It was the most common hazing ritual for boys in American summer camps during the early 20th century, and is a rite of passage often associated with groups such as the Boy Scouts. The snipe hunt is a kind of fool's errand or wild-goose chase, meaning a fruitless errand or expedition, attested as early as the 1840s in the United States. The other group members leave, promising to chase the snipe toward the newcomer instead, they return home or to camp, leaving the victims of the prank alone in the dark to discover that they have been duped and left " holding the bag". Snipe hunters are typically led to an outdoor spot at night and given a bag or pillowcase along with instructions that can include either waiting quietly or making odd noises to attract the creatures. In France, a similar joke is called " hunting the dahut".Īlthough snipe are a real family of birds, the snipe hunt is a practical joke, often associated with summer camps and other types of outdoor camping, in which the victim is tricked into engaging in a hunt for an imaginary creature. As an American rite of passage, snipe hunting is often associated with summer camps and groups such as the Boy Scouts. The others involved in the prank then leave the newcomer alone in the woods to discover the joke. The target of the prank is led to an outdoor spot and given instructions for catching the snipe these often include waiting in the dark and holding an empty bag or making noises to attract the creature. Although snipe are an actual family of birds, a snipe hunt is a quest for an imaginary creature whose description varies. Practical joke in which an unwitting victim is sent in pursuit of something that doesn't existĪ snipe hunt is a type of practical joke or fool's errand, in existence in North America as early as the 1840s, in which an unsuspecting newcomer is duped into trying to catch an elusive (fictitious for the purposes of the prank), nonexistent animal called a snipe.
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