So one of the most frequent search queries that brings people to Logopolis is to this post about How I Met Your Mother regarding a dirty joke that's answer wasn't given. I also have many people visiting weekly looking for the non-existent Chicago Pizza Explosion that Liz Lemon mentioned on 30 Rock. So in the interest of making this site more service-y, there was no Sir Walter Dibs.
In fact, the definition of dibs is:
- children's word to express a claim on something, 1932, originally U.S., apparently a contraction of dibstone "a knucklebone or jack in a children's game" (1690s), of unknown origin.
So, if you want, you want to be more technical, please call 'dibstones' form here on out. Especially if a time eddy sweeps in and sends you back to the 17th century and end up playing a children's game. But of course, if that happens, they'll probably think you're a witch. So you'll have other things to worry about.
See also this Wikipedia article on dibs (aka "Bags/Bagsy, shotgun, shotty, gun and other variants") around the world -- including how it translates around the world.
