Telling Tales (Snitching) Challenge 2016

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. The theme of the challenge is the telling of tales or to avoid any possible misinterpretation let's call it snitching. So that's what the challenge entries need to feature as their primary theme. The consequences of the tale telling or snitching can of course be many and varied.

I'm wondering if some of the confusion about this theme is due to our cultural differences in interpretation. When I first saw that the challenge was about "telling tales," I did not think it related to snitching. In the US, that expression generally refers to making up stories i.e, lying about something. Or telling "tall tales," which is fibbing or exaggerating. But hopefully the clarifications from the admins have set the authors on the right path!

I think Janine got this exactly right. When I heard "telling tales" I was thinking people making up *false* stories about someone to get them spanked.

But I'm looking forward to reading the stories when they are released!

Well there's nothing to say that the tales have to be true... they could be made up but equally they could be true. We hadn't realised initially that the phrase had a somewhat different meaning over the pond but hopefully everyone knows what we're looking for now.

Found on the Net:

"Tell Tale Tit,
Your tongue shall be slit;
And all the dogs in the town
Shall have a little bit.

Here is another great example of the school yard taunt. Pinning down just what was meant with "tell tale tit" is the only complicated part of this rhyme. Our modern definition of "tit" has been in use for a very long time, though not nearly as sexualized. In a copy of Webster's Dictionary from 1828 it is described in lovely, florid language as "the pap of a woman; the nipple. It consists of an elastic erectile substance, embracing the lactiferous ducts, which terminate on its surface, and thus serves to convey milk to the young of animals." The same entry, strangely enough, identifies a tit as a tiny horse. Soon it evolved to mean anything small: tittering, titmouse, tit-bits (predecessor to tid-bits). A tell tale tit is a crybaby tattletale. It was a popular insult, having many variations just in English school yards alone. And we all know what happens to tattletales; it involves sharp knives and hungry dogs. Not a rhyme that succeeded into the sanitized gentility of the 20th century."

We had the second line of that verse as
'your pants are split'
Far more appropriate here

A great Challenge ... so far have read very few but am very happy with the total number of stories. I am sure I will find all of them very enjoyable to read.

Well done to those writers who submitted and to those writers who did their best but just could not make the deadline. Thanks to all those who take the time to read and vote on the stories (mine is number --- censored ---)

Have fun folks.

CS

I have read about half the stories and can definitely recommend this Challenge. Get voting, folks!

Very high quality all I read till now.

Yippee, duty done. I have read all the stories, but I say that with regret as much as relief. The quality this time round has been amazing. I reckon any one of about 30 stories would be worthy winners. Can't wait to see who wrote what.