Ferret legging up for deletion Options

[Emperor]

Ferret legging could be deleted from Wikipedia.

Luckily, it is now safe at Encyc.

[Kato]

Someone has written:

Delete If this was a real "sport" it would show up in more than one source. Steve Dufour (talk) 18:48, 12 August 2009 (UTC)

It very much is a real sport. I don't think it goes on much if at all anymore, but - ridiculous as it sounds - it was a regular novelty act and was (alongside gurning) the kind of thing that would go on in small village fairs.

[No one of consequence]

Someone has written:

Delete If this was a real "sport" it would show up in more than one source. Steve Dufour (talk) 18:48, 12 August 2009 (UTC)

It very much is a real sport. I don't think it goes on much if at all anymore, but - ridiculous as it sounds - it was a regular novelty act and was (alongside gurning) the kind of thing that would go on in small village fairs.

Multiple hits in LexisNexis in the US, Canada and Australia. In the US, appears to be a novelty sport held at Scottish, Celtic or Highland Games-type of festivals/fairs.

* PLAN AHEAD. No animals are harmed in the sport of ferret-legging. Is the same true for participants who put a live weasel down their pants? Find out about this odd activity Oct. 25-26 at the Richmond Highland Games and Celtic Festival, where there will also be rugby games and large men hurling telephone poles (that's caber tossing). Nip some whisky to the sounds of the Glengarry Bhoys and Seven Nations.

This post has been edited by No one of consequence:

[Eva Destruction]

Someone has written:

Delete If this was a real "sport" it would show up in more than one source. Steve Dufour (talk) 18:48, 12 August 2009 (UTC)

It very much is a real sport. I don't think it goes on much if at all anymore, but - ridiculous as it sounds - it was a regular novelty act and was (alongside gurning) the kind of thing that would go on in small village fairs.

Multiple hits in LexisNexis in the US, Canada and Australia. In the US, appears to be a novelty sport held at Scottish, Celtic or Highland Games-type of festivals/fairs.

Anyone who remembers That's Life! in the 1980s - or has seen the repeats on cable - will know this is genuine. I despair of the "it's not on Google so it doesn't exist!" brigade.

[Grep]

Not to mention the 23 hits on Google Books ...

[Kato]

Multiple hits in LexisNexis in the US, Canada and Australia. In the US, appears to be a novelty sport held at Scottish, Celtic or Highland Games-type of festivals/fairs.

Sticking a ferret down y'trousers is a well known Yorkshire activity, and the ferret legger is popular stereotype of a Yorkshireman.

According to WP, the champion ferret legger performed his feat in Holmfirth in Yorkshire, which sounds credible as Holmfirth is classic ferret-in-trousers territory. There's a whole episode of the TV show Last of the Summer Wine (set in Holmfirth) about a guy keeping ferrets in his trousers on YouTube.

I never understood why English culture and pastimes get transmogrified into Celtic blarney when they travel to North America. I guess the image of half crazed drunken ferret leggers doesn't fit the stereotype of the plum-voiced upper-class English gent, and so they get morphed onto the Irish or Scots instead?

[KevinOKeeffe]

Only one vote has been cast for Delete, while I just cast the seventh Keep vote, so it seems likely secure.

[EricBarbour]

Well, if you actually do try Google, you come up with:

Cracked.com article on "baffling sports"

Fordham Observer

"Caring for your pet ferret"

"History of the Ferret" from veterinarypartner.com

Ferret Legging. This silly English pub sport has been around for centuries, but fortunately is no longer common. The contestant must tie his trousers legs securely around the ankles, then place two ferrets that have full sets of teeth down his pants, and finally tie the waist of his trousers securely closed. If a ferret bites, it can only be dislodged from the outside of the pants. The object is to be the person that keeps the ferrets in his pants the longest. In 1983 a 72-year old Yorkshire man withstood the ferrets for 5 hours and 26 minutes.

Houston Press, 2007

foxey.org

During Medieval times, placing a hungry, fully-clawed ferret down the pants of a prisoner was used as a torture device.

FYI: a lot of people think it was a gag that originated with the Outside magazine article.
Here's a really stupid one--that contradicts itself.

And btw, the ferret-legging article has been up for deletion before.
May 2006
August 2006
Here it is, being discussed on the snopes.com messageboard--in 2007.

There ya go, WP smartasses. More references.
is this article going to be AFDed again and again in the future??

[Kato]

Some people seem to think it's an urban myth stemming from that article in 1987.

This isn't true. There used to be fairground style acts that were similar long ago, where guys would try and get as many ferrets in their trousers as they could. There would be competitions to beat the record.

Any combination of ferrets and trousers is inherently funny in the North of England. The sight of a phallic bulge hopping around uncontrollably in a guy's pants, and the comic tension as a crowd hopes the ferret will stick its teeth into the guy's bollocks, is not to be underestimated.

WP will be doubting Well Dressing next.

[Kato]

The old deletion debates are funny. Almost everyone thinks it is a hoax.

User:DavidParfitt remembers it correctly though, "the first time I saw ferret legging was in the mid sixties [...] this is an activity that is pretty much limited to rural shows and fetes as such it probably wont ever be authoritatively documented."

On the talk page, a self-declared Yorkshireman pronounces it a hoax which is "racist claptrap" against Yorkshire folk - and demands evidence! He's completely wrong and can't be much of Yorkshireman if he doesn't remember the old ferret-up-the-trousers act.

There's actually a photo of "ferret legger" supremo Reg Mellor on the BBC website, where Mellor appears to be sticking a ferret in his mouth!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/conten...allery.shtml?33

[Obesity]

Having a ferret in your "trousers" for 5+ hours doesn't sound very fun.... for the ferret!

Where is SlimVirgin? The article needs a good, hard animal rights slant.....

This post has been edited by Obesity:

[Sarcasticidealist]

He's completely wrong and can't be much of Yorkshireman if he doesn't remember the old ferret-up-the-trousers act.

Cue Dan and the "No true Scotsman" fallacy lecture...

[Cock-up-over-conspiracy]

Ee, by gum ... who'd have known that your everyday Yorkshireman could have taught Richard Gere something about small furry creatures?

Anyone who remembers That's Life! in the 1980s - or has seen the repeats on cable - will know this is genuine. I despair of the "it's not on Google so it doesn't exist!" brigade.

The other problem being that the ... "it's not on Google so it doesn't exist! brigade" were born after the 1980s too.

They spend so long in their bedrooms Wiki-pee-ding that they have no idea what goes on in the world.

It just depresses me more ... "All the World's Knowledge®" ruled by a mob of teenage "Randy from Boise, Idaho" type police cadets and scout masters who are anything but 'getting randy' which is part of their problem.

Just out of interest, did you know that only 0.77% of the Boise population is African American? A similar statistic to the number of African or African American Wikipedians, I'd should guess.

I read it on the Wiki ... um, Google ... um, Wiki ... um, Wikipediareview ... so it must be true.

This post has been edited by Cock-up-over-conspiracy:

[Malleus]

This article will only be deleted over my dead body. About the daftest comment I've seen on the talk page is that because Lady Chatterley's fictional lover and manservant was called Mellor the article is obviously a hoax. A comment written by a fictional sword no less!

[Emperor]

Wasn't it Somey or someone who said that it used to be more fun pre-Wikipedia where if you were in a group of people and you didn't know something you'd figure it out, without running to the computer. Thanks guys, particularly Kato who seems to be the expert here.

Seeing the way the article is improving now reminds me of how I once liked Wikipedia. Too bad Obesity is right.

[Malleus]

Wasn't it Somey or someone who said that it used to be more fun pre-Wikipedia where if you were in a group of people and you didn't know something you'd figure it out, without running to the computer. Thanks guys, particularly Kato who seems to be the expert here.

Seeing the way the article is improving now reminds me of how I once liked Wikipedia. Too bad Obesity is right.

If you're talking about the animal rights slant, ferret legging has died out in the UK, you don't see it any more, and I'm sure it would now be considered unacceptable by the RSPCA and result in prosecutions.

I'm astonished though to see that it appears to have spread to the US, where it's considered to have "Celtic origins". Completely bizarre, as ferrets weren't introduced to England until the 11th century.

This post has been edited by Malleus:

[A Horse With No Name]

Completely bizarre, as ferrets weren't introduced to England until the 11th century.

I can imagine the scene...

"Ferrets, meet the English. English, say hello to the ferrets!"

Of course, the Spanish introduced my ancestors to the American Indians in the 16th century -- although the Angel Moroni insists we were galloping around North America before that! (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/wink.gif)

And, whoa, the WR team came out in full force -- including the apathetic Mr. X! (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/smile.gif)

This post has been edited by A Horse With No Name:

[Kato]

I'm astonished though to see that it appears to have spread to the US, where it's considered to have "Celtic origins". Completely bizarre, as ferrets weren't introduced to England until the 11th century.

Yeah, that's quite depressing (see my post earlier in the thread).

According to WP, the Richmond Times-Dispatch "claims it has a Celtic origin" (that's Richmond, Virginia - not Richmond in Yorkshire). You should take that out because it is clearly false - "reliable source" or not.

On YouTube there is some footage of ferret legging from the Richmond "Celtic Fare" featuring a guy pulling the most unconvincing Scottish / Irish (?) accent you'll ever hear.

Also, YouTube have got that classic clip from Yorkshire TV of presenter Richard Whitely getting attacked by a ferret while its ferreter owner looks on nonchalantly. As I say, there's just something inherently funny about ferrets.

[Malleus]

Completely bizarre, as ferrets weren't introduced to England until the 11th century.

I can imagine the scene...

"Ferrets, meet the English. English, say hello to the ferrets!"

We weren't "English" then, we were Anglo-Saxons and Normans, with a dash of Viking.

Anyway. well done to the WR team.

I'm astonished though to see that it appears to have spread to the US, where it's considered to have "Celtic origins". Completely bizarre, as ferrets weren't introduced to England until the 11th century.

Yeah, that's quite depressing (see my post earlier in the thread).

According to WP, the Richmond Times-Dispatch "claims it has a Celtic origin" (that's Richmond, Virginia - not Richmond in Yorkshire). You should take that out because it is clearly false - "reliable source" or not.

On YouTube there is some footage of ferret legging from the Richmond "Celtic Fare" featuring a guy pulling the most unconvincing Scottish / Irish (?) accent you'll ever hear.

Also, YouTube have got that classic clip from Yorkshire TV of presenter Richard Whitely getting attacked by a ferret while its ferreter owner looks on nonchalantly. As I say, there's just something inherently funny about ferrets.

I think I will take that Celtic claim out, as it's clearly bizarre nonsense. There is something funny about ferrets, I agree; they're charming, mischievous little rogues, just like me. In the the interest of full disclosure I'll admit that I have 12 of the little blighters. (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/biggrin.gif)

[Sarcasticidealist]

There is something funny about ferrets, I agree; they're charming, mischievous little rogues, just like me. In the the interest of full disclosure I'll admit that I have 12 of the little blighters. (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/biggrin.gif)

Dave Barry once theorized that weasels were inherently funny, and offered the following sentences in defense of that view:

Not funny: Richard Nixon is wearing a necktie.
Funny: Richard Nixon is wearing a neckweasel.

Not funny: Scientists have discovered a 23rd moon orbiting Jupiter.
Funny: Scientists have discovered a giant weasel orbiting Jupiter.

Personally, elk are my go-to funny animal.