hooplan.
/ˈhuːplɑː/, /ˈhʊplɑː/, U.S. /ˈhuˌplɑ/, /ˈhʊˌplɑ/ A game in which persons throw rings on to a surface containing a number of articles, the object being to gain any of these as a prize by throwing a ring so as to encircle it completely. Also attributive.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > place of amusement or entertainment > fairground or amusement park > [noun] > coconut shy, Aunt Sally, etc.
Jack-a-Lent1553
knock-'em-down1828
cockshy1833
stick1838
Aunt Sally1858
hoopla1909
1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 1031/1 Hoopla!.. The players endeavour to throw balls..through circles poised on the Clown's head and hands.]
1909 London Mag. Sept. 26 A new game: Hoop-la!
1910 Daily Chron. 14 Jan. 3/5 A showman placed his ‘hoopla’ near the Promenade at Whitley, Northumberland, and invited the public to throw rings (at so many a penny) for prizes.
1912 A. S. M. Hutchinson Happy Warrior v. i. 279 All Maddox's smaller-fry—coker-nut shies, hoop-la's, Living Mermaid.
1924 Other Lands Jan. 68/2 Houp-la stalls are a great attraction.
1927 Blackwood's Mag. Sept. 358/2 We..finally sought refuge from the mob in a ‘hoopla’ stall, where we tried our luck.
1935 Punch 18 Sept. 319/1 One also tried one's hand at clock-golf, Houp-là! and throwing little balls into a bucket from which they instantly sprang out again.
1959 P. H. Johnson Humbler Creation xlviii. 329 His wife..had the hoop-la [stall at a fête].
1964 K. Rosewall in A. Trengove Art of Tennis 26 Most people do things like dealing cards, and playing table tennis and hoop-la backhanded.
1973 P. Moyes Curious Affair of Third Dog x. 135 You will not turn down my heartfelt appeal to you to preside over the Hoop-La stall.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1933; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1909