Philip de la Vache ""The Canterbury Tales"". However, the reference to Vache in Chaucer's poem may on good grounds also be a pun on his own name. The phrase Vache, leve! in the first line of the Envoy corresponds to medieval French Vache, reïs!, 'cow, leave!'. The French phase reïs, Vache!, (REISVACHE), when reversed, becomes CHAVSIER, the French form of the poet's name (this is a so-called palindrome). In the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament, the cows on their way to Beth Shemesh are likened to holy men, or monks on their way to the Heavenly Jerusalem. Chaucer may have regarded
La vache qui tache in reference to this game. Ibble Dibble or Ripple Tipple in Australasia is an English variant. It also involves marking people's faces with a blackened cork or a similar substance such as peanut butter. Ibble Dibble is similar, but the name of the person is used instead of a number. For example: "I am Ibble Dibble Kyle with no Ibble Dibbles calling Ibble Dibble Kate with one Ibble Dibble." Another variant is referring to "spots," saying "I'm number one spot, I've got no spots, how many spots has number X spot got?". In 2004 "la vache qui tache" was made