kittle pitchering
A jocular method of hobbling or bothering a troublesome teller of long stories: this is done by contradicting some very immaterial circumstance at the beginning of the narration, the objections to which being settled, others are immediately started to some new particular of like consequence; thus impeding, or rather not suffering him to enter into, the main story. Kittle pitchering is often practised in confederacy, one relieving the other, by which the design is rendered less obvious.
–From the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue.
Love this. 
June 19th, 2006 15:31
Me: “So this one time, T-dog and I were taking the Bucklebery ferry over to”
KP: “The elevensies ferry or the post-afternoon tea ferry?
Me: “err… the dinner ferry. So, anyway we were taking the dinner ferry acro”
KP: “The dinner ferry only runs on Tuesdays. It couldn’t have been the dinner ferry”
Me: “I didn’t say it wasn’t a Tuesday.”
KP: “But T-dog works most Tuesdays”
Me: “He must have had this one off.”
ad infinitum?
June 21st, 2006 01:44
Heh. Exactly.