The knife game

The Knife Game, or 5-Finger Fillet, is a game wherein a player places the palm of his or her hand down on a table with fingers apart, using a knife, or sharp object, the player attempts to stab back and forth between their fingers, moving the object back and forth, trying to not hit them. The game is seen periodically in movies and television, perhaps most well known in James Cameron's Aliens. Many people use a safer version with less harmful objects. The order in which the spaces between the fingers are stabbed varies. In North America, the most popular version is to simply stab all the spaces in order, starting from behind the thumb to after the little finger, and back again. In Europe, a more complex order is used. With the spaces numbered 1 (behind the thumb) through 6 (after the little finger), the order would be as follows: 1-2-1-3-1-4-1-5-1-6-2-6-3-6-4-6-5-6-4-6-3-6-2-6-1 (repeats) as opposed to the American version, which would be thus: 1-2-3-4-5-6-5-4-3-2-1 (repeats).

See also

• Mumblety peg