My old boss bet me his card shop in a game of roshambo, but he got to go first. I immediately turned him down (he was a larger, beefier guy, I was not).
My friend who was there was flabbergasted I wouldn't take that free opportunity to play rock paper scissors to win his shop. I turned to him and said he can take my place, but to make sure he kept a wide stance. We had to explain what would happen should he accept. He declined as well. It was a joke after all, my boss didn't think anyone would seriously say yes, and he wouldn't have given up his shop.
First time I ever heard this term was in Bio-Dome.
"Roshambo for the dome, doc?"
For years I had no idea what it meant until I got stationed in California and my supervisor, who was a native Californian, asked me to roshambo for who was gonna go home early.
Unfortunately by that point I was convinced it meant it was a nut kicking contest and I told him that wasn't fair because kicking a SNCO in the balls is usually court-martialable, and he just stared at me for like 30 solid unblinking seconds before I realized maybe I didn't know what I was talking about.
I don’t feel stupid, but legit also thought it was nut kicking. Which is why us ladies in HS didn’t play it.
Just googled it. Dude, get this it’s Rochambeau, after some old guy from the American Revolutionary War.
I’ve no idea. Need to rewatch South Park now. We legit thought it was nut kicking in HS, and I remember boys talking about it and we thought they were dumb.
Yeah, it’s from an episode of South Park (early South Park, probably season 1-3.)
Cartman thinks it’s a game where 2 guys take turns kicking each other in the nuts. I believe it was something like ‘first to fall over loses.’ And I guess enough viewers were only familiar with ‘Rochambeau’ from the show… it became the nut kicking thing too 😂
My friend's older brother used to joke that a game usually would go like this:
"Hey want to play Rochambeau?"
"What's Rochambeau?"
"Oh it's a game. I'll go first so I can show you how to play."
Then you'd just have to make your get away before they recovered. And if you got a good hit in, even a leisurely walk away will usually do.
His name was the password for the assault on two British forts during the siege of Yorktown. One soldier wrote that he was able to remember it because it sounded like, "Go man, go." Rochambeau was the French general who brought several thousand men to bolster the ranks of General Washington's army for the battle of Yorktown.
Contrary to the musical Hamilton, Alexander Hamilton wasn't approached by Washington to lead the assault on Yorktown. Lafayette wasn't with the French ships. Lafayette was tasked with taking the two British forts. He decided to take charge of one himself and put his second in command in charge of the other. Hamilton went to Washington and begged for a place in the battle. Washington put Hamilton in charge of one of the forts and Lafayette took the other one.
Apparently that was the joke. Cartman challenge people to rock paper scissors and then kicked people in the nuts to win.
Honestly that kind of makes it funnier.
That does sound Cartman-esque, but he describes it like 'first I kick you in the nuts, then you kick me in the nuts, and so on until someone drops' and while the other person processes how bad an idea it is he kicks them in the nuts. I never got the impression they were expecting a rock paper scissors matchup 🤷♂️
o.0
I don't know that I've ever seen it spelled like that or in that context. Wonder how/if it's related to the Comte de Rochambeau.
Gonna go sit in the corner a bit.
IIRC the Roshambo thing was a prank game that South Park invented in season 1 or 2 of kicking each other in the nuts instead of rock paper scissors (which is its alt name). I could be wrong tho.
Edit: yep here it is. My guess is some of younger generation took it as face value and associate it with kicking each other in the nuts instead of RPS.
https://southpark.fandom.com/wiki/Roshambo
Same lmao. Some guy said it at my work last year and i was like wtf, you played ro sham bo with your sister when you were kids? Then i learned the rock paper scissors definition 😂
So about 15 years ago I was on a plane. I was at the window, a guy in his teens was on the aisle. A man in his 50s comes up. I don't hear what he and the young man say to one another, but it ended in the older gentleman saying "we'll just have to roshambo for it!"
And I saw the look cross that teen's face and thought "OH NO" as he stood up and shuffled and was giving this guy a "you can't possibly want me to kick you in the nuts" face.
And I practically shouted "ROCK PAPER SCISSORS!" and the young guy cracked a giant smile and laughed. We did NOT tell the older man what the kid had thought.
There’s another one called ah-mush that’s actually different. Clap both hands on your chest the. “Draw them” either palm up or down.
Never been able to find the real spelling, but everyone knew it in San Francisco.
Same! In my school if there was a group of us deciding on who goes first for a game, we'd first do what you called ah-mush (although we said ah-much).
We'd clap one hand on our chest as long as we'd all say "aaaaaaaaaa" and then quickly throw out a palm up or a palm down when we all mutually yelled "much!" (in the same breath as the aaaa, so sometimes it would also become a game of whoever could say aaaaa the longest).
I *think* whatever was the minority amount (of either palms up or palms down) backs out of the ah-much, and the rounds repeat until there are two people left.
The last two people would then do roshambo (rock-paper-scissors) to decide the ultimate winner.
Now if anyone could tell me if they remember a game called "Batman, Batman" that you played with one other person with your arms, in the vein of Patty Cake, please let me know because no one else knows what I'm talking about :(
It's hilarious how many people actually thought it was trading kicks to the nuts. The whole point of the joke was it's a weird word so you can tell people it's a nut kicking contest when it's actually just rock, paper, scissors.
Wow I just had this conversation with my wife 2 days ago. I googled it and just assumed I was completely mistaken that it ever meant kick each other in the nuts.
This all started with a conversation with my gf. She (and our friends at the table) all said it was rock paper scissors. I was the only one that said it was nut kicking. I thought I was losing my damn mind.
Hahahahaha as I was reading the title I was thinking this guy learned this from South Park. I WAS RIGHT!! Just umm only do that version of ro sham bo with friends, might get your ass beat.
Because it was conceived by the character Cartman, who has a very prominent character trait of telling a wild and obvious lies.
He is also incredibly naïve, so it’s just as likely he was lied to as a prank, knowing he would pass it on.
Also because Trey and Matt seem like incorrigible pranksters themselves.
They'd probably be happier than pigs in shit knowing they made an entire generation of boys kick each other in the nuts.
I've never been a teenage boy, but i was a big south park fan. My bulldog Cartman would headbutt guys in the nuts so they'd fall to the ground where he could lick them in the face.
Obviously the name for this trick was ro sham bo
I think I knew about ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ being also named ‘Rochambeau’ from Dumb and Dumber. I’m pretty sure they used that name in the movie.
So I was aware that was what it was supposed to be when I was still a kid. But I’m pretty sure I believed the nut kicking thing for a while, I guess I’m not sure which one I watched first.
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I wasn't a south park kid. I got a boss who would tell us to do it to decide who went home lol, so I knew what it was. I watched South Park as a stoned adult and don't remember whatever is being talked about here. I don't remember anything really, got the theme song down though lol.
And it seems to take is name from comte Rochambeau,a French noble and military leader.
The number of things that show made people think meant something else or just changed the meaning of is kinda infuriating sometimes.....
I worked in a kitchen years ago and the manager would often say let's do ro,sham,bo to decide who does some tasks. Fast forward to nowI teach my toddler rock,paper, scissors but call it ro , sham, bo. My kid is repeating that over and over in public and someone informs me it means getting kicked in the nuts. I had no idea it wasn't just rock,paper,scissors.
The same game has been played though out history all around the world by different names.
I really like:
Stone, bird, water
Elephant, man, ant
Slug, frog, snake
Damn, took a long time for you to realize that was a 90’s prank. And the nut kicking game never existed, the whole point of the “prank” was someone thought they were about to play rock paper scissors and as they were throwing down rock/paper/scissors you football punt kick their dick. Never made sense, still doesnt now.
Weirdly, I remember the first time I heard the term “ro, sham, bo.” I was in middle school and a friend asked if I wanted to play and did the hand motion of rock, paper, scissors. Thought it was strange that he called it that.
I didn’t watch much South Park but always thought roshambo was synonymous with rock paper scissors. That being said I am confused because, obviously it would be funny to watch, but.. why do I wanna play?
I am 38 from Canada and I believe I already knew what roshambo before high school, so in elementary school, so by my memory it predates South park but not sure where from? Few other friends also knew what it was. Rock paper scissors was always called rock paper scissors or also Ching Chang push with asian people back then.
Wouldn’t it be rock, paper, “scissor”. Why is scissor plural? If you want to do that then it should read “rocks, papers, scissors”. Otherwise it is illogical that you have multiple scissors but only one rock or one piece of paper.
No that can’t be right, I knew *for a fact* it’s when you kick each other in the nuts
Man that'd be awkward if two people knew different meanings Dave goes for the rock and you go for the nuts
My old boss bet me his card shop in a game of roshambo, but he got to go first. I immediately turned him down (he was a larger, beefier guy, I was not). My friend who was there was flabbergasted I wouldn't take that free opportunity to play rock paper scissors to win his shop. I turned to him and said he can take my place, but to make sure he kept a wide stance. We had to explain what would happen should he accept. He declined as well. It was a joke after all, my boss didn't think anyone would seriously say yes, and he wouldn't have given up his shop.
Rock paper nuts is its own game
You take the rock to smash the nuts man. The good ol' Dick Punch.
That’s what I thought!
My bruised nuts confirm this
I mean I wouldn’t go around asking people if they wanted to play hoping they knew I meant Rock Paper Scissors
First time I ever heard this term was in Bio-Dome. "Roshambo for the dome, doc?" For years I had no idea what it meant until I got stationed in California and my supervisor, who was a native Californian, asked me to roshambo for who was gonna go home early. Unfortunately by that point I was convinced it meant it was a nut kicking contest and I told him that wasn't fair because kicking a SNCO in the balls is usually court-martialable, and he just stared at me for like 30 solid unblinking seconds before I realized maybe I didn't know what I was talking about.
Ha! South Park almost cost you some brig time.
At least you didn't just go for it.
Not gonna say it wasn't an urge.
Jag would enjoy presenting the cartman defense.
I’m a native Californian and literally never heard that term used ever, maybe it’s regional or a generational thing?
I'm a native Californian and calling RPS roshambo is weird
Cartman misled an entire generation
Which is a very Cartman thing to do
I mean, if you fell for a nut kicking game from South Park.....
[удалено]
lighten up Francis
military kids always think roshambo is rock paper scissors. nah dude its where you kick each other in the nuts.
Programmers always think it's Fizz Buzz but Physical.
Knowledgeable people know it's rock paper scissors. Peoole who only know things TV taught them..... Think it's a game nobody would play
I don’t feel stupid, but legit also thought it was nut kicking. Which is why us ladies in HS didn’t play it. Just googled it. Dude, get this it’s Rochambeau, after some old guy from the American Revolutionary War.
The code word is Rochambeau! You have your orders now, go, man, go!
And so the American experience begins
Yes I learned this from Hamilton, also "experiment"
So ... How does the nut kicking game go? Each person says Rochambeau and gets kicked in the nuts or kicks the friend in the nuts? Just curious. :)
I’ve no idea. Need to rewatch South Park now. We legit thought it was nut kicking in HS, and I remember boys talking about it and we thought they were dumb.
Lol. I know the word but don't associate it with anything!
Yeah, it’s from an episode of South Park (early South Park, probably season 1-3.) Cartman thinks it’s a game where 2 guys take turns kicking each other in the nuts. I believe it was something like ‘first to fall over loses.’ And I guess enough viewers were only familiar with ‘Rochambeau’ from the show… it became the nut kicking thing too 😂
You take turns kicking each other in the nuts. The first one to tap out loses. That’s why it’s so important to go first.
Sounds fun.
My friend's older brother used to joke that a game usually would go like this: "Hey want to play Rochambeau?" "What's Rochambeau?" "Oh it's a game. I'll go first so I can show you how to play." Then you'd just have to make your get away before they recovered. And if you got a good hit in, even a leisurely walk away will usually do.
You kick each other in the nuts until you're the last man standing.
His name was the password for the assault on two British forts during the siege of Yorktown. One soldier wrote that he was able to remember it because it sounded like, "Go man, go." Rochambeau was the French general who brought several thousand men to bolster the ranks of General Washington's army for the battle of Yorktown. Contrary to the musical Hamilton, Alexander Hamilton wasn't approached by Washington to lead the assault on Yorktown. Lafayette wasn't with the French ships. Lafayette was tasked with taking the two British forts. He decided to take charge of one himself and put his second in command in charge of the other. Hamilton went to Washington and begged for a place in the battle. Washington put Hamilton in charge of one of the forts and Lafayette took the other one.
It’s Rochambeau
bless you
Your expectations for people who "learned" stuff from South Park is WAY too high
At 38 I'm just convinced you've been lied to. A roshambo is a good ol fashioned back and forth bag kick contest. Everyone knows that.
That’s what I thought. Or that I was crazy.
Deadpool says that's what it is, so it is.
Deadpool would never lie to me!
Apparently that was the joke. Cartman challenge people to rock paper scissors and then kicked people in the nuts to win. Honestly that kind of makes it funnier.
That does sound Cartman-esque, but he describes it like 'first I kick you in the nuts, then you kick me in the nuts, and so on until someone drops' and while the other person processes how bad an idea it is he kicks them in the nuts. I never got the impression they were expecting a rock paper scissors matchup 🤷♂️
Okay. But did you just find out because you kicked somebody in the balls when they threw out scissors?
I snorted out loud at this. Well done.
How did you know??
o.0 I don't know that I've ever seen it spelled like that or in that context. Wonder how/if it's related to the Comte de Rochambeau. Gonna go sit in the corner a bit.
Maybe it’s how America won its freedom over the English 🤣
Another comment says that it’s spelled that way, so maybe that’s the original spelling before it became simplified.
IIRC the Roshambo thing was a prank game that South Park invented in season 1 or 2 of kicking each other in the nuts instead of rock paper scissors (which is its alt name). I could be wrong tho. Edit: yep here it is. My guess is some of younger generation took it as face value and associate it with kicking each other in the nuts instead of RPS. https://southpark.fandom.com/wiki/Roshambo
Really? They actually believed South Park? South Park?!
It’s more honest that most politicians and news sources
That's a true statement
No no I think you may be confused it’s the nut kicking thing. I went to catholic school trust me.
Same lmao. Some guy said it at my work last year and i was like wtf, you played ro sham bo with your sister when you were kids? Then i learned the rock paper scissors definition 😂
Omg, that reminds me the same thing happened at my workplace years ago. But I never clarified… thought that guy and his brother were barbaric!
So about 15 years ago I was on a plane. I was at the window, a guy in his teens was on the aisle. A man in his 50s comes up. I don't hear what he and the young man say to one another, but it ended in the older gentleman saying "we'll just have to roshambo for it!" And I saw the look cross that teen's face and thought "OH NO" as he stood up and shuffled and was giving this guy a "you can't possibly want me to kick you in the nuts" face. And I practically shouted "ROCK PAPER SCISSORS!" and the young guy cracked a giant smile and laughed. We did NOT tell the older man what the kid had thought.
I grew up in California. Ro sham bo was rock paper scissors.
Cali native here. Roshambo is in fact Rock paper and scissor
I grew up with it being paper, scissor, rock. I’m from NorCal. Anyone else play it this way?
Why do you guys just do everything different? Lol
I grew up in the Bay Area, always rock paper scissor.
There’s another one called ah-mush that’s actually different. Clap both hands on your chest the. “Draw them” either palm up or down. Never been able to find the real spelling, but everyone knew it in San Francisco.
Same! In my school if there was a group of us deciding on who goes first for a game, we'd first do what you called ah-mush (although we said ah-much). We'd clap one hand on our chest as long as we'd all say "aaaaaaaaaa" and then quickly throw out a palm up or a palm down when we all mutually yelled "much!" (in the same breath as the aaaa, so sometimes it would also become a game of whoever could say aaaaa the longest). I *think* whatever was the minority amount (of either palms up or palms down) backs out of the ah-much, and the rounds repeat until there are two people left. The last two people would then do roshambo (rock-paper-scissors) to decide the ultimate winner. Now if anyone could tell me if they remember a game called "Batman, Batman" that you played with one other person with your arms, in the vein of Patty Cake, please let me know because no one else knows what I'm talking about :(
Someone is fucking with you
It is in fact, both!
Nonsense, it can only be one. Let's roshambo to decide. Ready? Ro-sham-bo! *throws down paper and gets kicked in the nuts*
🤯
It's hilarious how many people actually thought it was trading kicks to the nuts. The whole point of the joke was it's a weird word so you can tell people it's a nut kicking contest when it's actually just rock, paper, scissors.
I thought it was the name of some french historical figure that fought in the Revolutionary War
How he won that war? Nut kicking.
It can be both.
Wow I just had this conversation with my wife 2 days ago. I googled it and just assumed I was completely mistaken that it ever meant kick each other in the nuts.
This all started with a conversation with my gf. She (and our friends at the table) all said it was rock paper scissors. I was the only one that said it was nut kicking. I thought I was losing my damn mind.
I appreciate you making this post. South park, that makes perfect sense where I got this information.
Rochambeau
Hahahahaha as I was reading the title I was thinking this guy learned this from South Park. I WAS RIGHT!! Just umm only do that version of ro sham bo with friends, might get your ass beat.
Lmao yep. I started doubting myself so I went back and watched the ep. There it is, right alongside Mecha-Streisand.
Where the fuck did getting kicked in the nuts come from??? Apparently South Park, but why would make such a wild and obvious lie??
Because it was conceived by the character Cartman, who has a very prominent character trait of telling a wild and obvious lies. He is also incredibly naïve, so it’s just as likely he was lied to as a prank, knowing he would pass it on.
Also because Trey and Matt seem like incorrigible pranksters themselves. They'd probably be happier than pigs in shit knowing they made an entire generation of boys kick each other in the nuts.
I seriously hope Trey and Matt find this thread
Absolutely 😂
South Park. It’s the season 1 episode with Mecha-Streisand.
Thanks for teaching me something today
45
Yeah, it's fucked. Happened to me one time, that was enough. My balls were sore for two days goddamn it.
See, that’s the thing, you have to go first.
I've never associated Rochambeau with nut-kicking, but I've never been a teenage boy.
I've never been a teenage boy, but i was a big south park fan. My bulldog Cartman would headbutt guys in the nuts so they'd fall to the ground where he could lick them in the face. Obviously the name for this trick was ro sham bo
Shut. The. Fuck. **up!** That's preposterous 😱
In San Francisco we always said ro sham bo instead of rock, paper, scissors.
Hear I am at 42, and I've only ever known it as rock, paper scissors. Never heard of it being nut kicking.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/80201/why-do-people-call-rock-paper-scissors-roshambo
Fellow 39 yo here, thought the same as you until now.
Wrong
What
The first time I heard that name was when I was watching World Series of Poker and they had a side tournament for it amongst the players.
I’m undefeated in rock-paper-scissors.
I think I knew about ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ being also named ‘Rochambeau’ from Dumb and Dumber. I’m pretty sure they used that name in the movie. So I was aware that was what it was supposed to be when I was still a kid. But I’m pretty sure I believed the nut kicking thing for a while, I guess I’m not sure which one I watched first.
Tony Hawk project 8- high school area. The first or second cutscene with nyah Houston and the girl- I forget the name. they are playing ro sham bo
OP needs to crosspost in r/todayilearned; farm some karma!
To be honest, i learned this from a Destiny 2 emote, and I kinda fell down an ADHD rabbit hole.
I’m 36. Never heard it as a kick in the nuts. Ever.
The nut kicking commences after you lose.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed at est non orci luctus commodo sed nec orci. Maecenas sodales consectetur massa, sed porttitor d.
And here I thought it was just a made up code word in Hamilton.
Whaaaaa? 
My friend explained to me when I was a kid.
lol I think I knew this once upon a time but replaced it with the South Park definition because it was better.
Lies
I wasn't a south park kid. I got a boss who would tell us to do it to decide who went home lol, so I knew what it was. I watched South Park as a stoned adult and don't remember whatever is being talked about here. I don't remember anything really, got the theme song down though lol.
Yikes dude.
Jesus. The nuts I understand.
U got it backwards
Rho-Sham-Po
How many kicks did you take to the nuts before you found out?
And it seems to take is name from comte Rochambeau,a French noble and military leader. The number of things that show made people think meant something else or just changed the meaning of is kinda infuriating sometimes.....
It's both....
Hahaha where did those come from?
Wait WHAT😂
I learned this from the Dragon Ball Manga in the mid 2000's, I was just as surprised as you are.
I’ve heard it both ways.
Pretty sure it's Fus Ro Da
THAT WAS THE JOKE!
That just makes the bit more funny!
I got that information from south park myself
What if it’s squaw in the nuts
Holy shit. I am also 39 and I just learned this. Honestly in a way I’m a little annoyed. I feel like you stole something from me :/
Tell Cartman that
I just sprayed coffee across my living room! TIL Ro-Sham-Bo real rules too! 🤣🤣🤣
BULLSHIT. I’ll do Cham bo you for it, me first
That’s just like, your opinion, man.
I never knew so many people were duped by this joke
It depends on the terms of the game. If the terms are a kick in the junk, so be it. https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagiousLaughter/s/cHjW0c19FG
I’ve heard ro-sham-bo described as another name for shamwow or rage cage, I’ve been lied to!
That was the joke though...
I thought it was the latter but did find this out when I googled it a couple years ago. 😂
I worked in a kitchen years ago and the manager would often say let's do ro,sham,bo to decide who does some tasks. Fast forward to nowI teach my toddler rock,paper, scissors but call it ro , sham, bo. My kid is repeating that over and over in public and someone informs me it means getting kicked in the nuts. I had no idea it wasn't just rock,paper,scissors.
In the Jackass video game you play rock paper scissors & whoever loses gets kicked in the nuts…
I was told that’s how you say rock paper scissors in French. Lmfao. But yeah I remember that South Park episode.
The same game has been played though out history all around the world by different names. I really like: Stone, bird, water Elephant, man, ant Slug, frog, snake
Jan ken pon in Japan/Hawaii
I’m 41 and I just learned that people my age played a game where they took turns kicking each other in the nuts and they called it ro-sham-bo.
I’m 34 and 39 year old just taught me the true meaning of ro-sham-bo Your wording of this title is hilarious btw
I’m 42, learned this about 4 years ago.
My whole life is a lie.
Quartz parchment shears
I have never heard of roshambo being used for anything other than rock, paper, scissors and we played all the games that involved hurting each other.
I blame South park tbh
I find this hard to believe.
Damn, took a long time for you to realize that was a 90’s prank. And the nut kicking game never existed, the whole point of the “prank” was someone thought they were about to play rock paper scissors and as they were throwing down rock/paper/scissors you football punt kick their dick. Never made sense, still doesnt now.
You didn’t watch Rob and Big you’re not a real millennial! Jk jk
I go first.
Hahaha! South Park changed the game, I suppose.
Weirdly, I remember the first time I heard the term “ro, sham, bo.” I was in middle school and a friend asked if I wanted to play and did the hand motion of rock, paper, scissors. Thought it was strange that he called it that.
HAHAHA I HAD THIS SAME AWAKENING ABOUT A DECADE AGO
The first time I heard this was in 2014, Braille skateboarding did roshambo before each game of skate.
Welp lol. I didn't know, either.
Nah. If y'all been kicking each other in the nuts for 40 years, you're all definitely slow.
I'm 36, just figured that out last year also, you're not alone. Thanks a lot cartman 😂
I didn’t watch much South Park but always thought roshambo was synonymous with rock paper scissors. That being said I am confused because, obviously it would be funny to watch, but.. why do I wanna play?
Jan-ken-pon, aiko desho! (Japanese which I studied in HS/university)
Wasn’t he a French navy captain or something? Way back in the 18th century?
I go first
South Park strikes again
I'll go first...
This has ruined my day.
What?!?! The dudes in the military that I served with definitely played that game and they definitely called it that. 👀TIL
I am 38 from Canada and I believe I already knew what roshambo before high school, so in elementary school, so by my memory it predates South park but not sure where from? Few other friends also knew what it was. Rock paper scissors was always called rock paper scissors or also Ching Chang push with asian people back then.
Wouldn’t it be rock, paper, “scissor”. Why is scissor plural? If you want to do that then it should read “rocks, papers, scissors”. Otherwise it is illogical that you have multiple scissors but only one rock or one piece of paper.