Every school playground had its own unwritten rules and games. What were the rituals where you grew up?

A natural way to answer

We had elaborate clapping games and skipping rhymes that everyone somehow just knew. There were unspoken codes about who you could sit with, and a strict pecking order. Looking back, it's funny how seriously we took it, as if the playground were its own little society.

Key phrases to use

• bagsy — to claim the right to have or do something before anyone else“I bagsy the front seat!”
• set in stone — fixed and impossible to change“The plan isn't set in stone yet.”
• in the doghouse — in trouble with someone because they are annoyed with you“I forgot her birthday, so I'm in the doghouse.”
• take something seriously — to treat something as important and worthy of real attention“We took it so seriously back then.”
• grass someone up — to tell a person in authority about someone's wrongdoing“Nobody dared grass him up to the teacher.”
• play by the rules — to behave according to the accepted rules or standards“If everyone plays by the rules, it's fair.”