Talk:Cat's cradle

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[edit] Etymology

I noted that the Oxford English Dictionary disputes the 'cratch-cradle' derivation. Oxford gives this etymology:

Origin probably fanciful: the guess that it ‘may have been’ cratch-cradle is not founded on facts. (Second Edition 1989)

Since Oxford states it "is not founded on facts", should we be advocating an etymology it implies is false and nothing more than conjecture? Can anyone give a reliable source to counter Oxford's claim?

--Dforest 04:17, 7 November 2005 (UTC)

In 1906 Haddon (Jayne, p.2) said "no satisfactory derivation has ever been givey (see Murray N.E.D.)." Hyacinth 23:07, 12 September 2006 (UTC)