A Note on the Title

The Victorian parlor game Are You There, Moriarty? is similar to Marco Polo, except instead of playing in a pool, a pair of players lay face down on the floor about arm’s length apart. Both participants are blindfolded, and each is equipped with a rolled-up newspaper. The game begins when the first player calls out “Are you there, Moriarty?” When the second player responds, the caller attempts to bop him over the head with his makeshift weapon. The newspaper swordfight proceeds until both parties feel too silly to continue.

 

—Mental Floss, November 16, 2016

 

No doubt a kinky version of this parlor game could include a flogger or a crop—and a submissive trying to evade the reach of his Dom.