Date: Tue, 24 May 1994 09:31:41 -0500 From: debaron[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UIUC.EDU Subject: Re: queries King of the Hill in NYC in the 1950s referred to defending a small mound in a vacant lot, not to a pile on. We didn't have enough kids in my neighborhood to pile on, so the term is missing from my inventory. In Illinois they don't play king of the hill because most of the state is flat--and most of east central Illinois is below sea level. Or at least it seems that way. The kids here play king of the damp basement. Dennis --- Dennis Baron debaron[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]uiuc.edu Department of English 217-333-2392 University of Illinois fax: 217-333-4321 608 South Wright Street Urbana, Illinois 61801