I have consulted with many renowned legal authorities both here in the US and globally, as well as the mouthpiece I keep on retainer (Mal Praktiss, Attorney at Law), and all agree that calling "dibs" on something is a recognized legal principle.
Most often heard on playgrounds and school cafeterias, "dibs" establishes the right of ownership and awards it to the first person laying claim.
"Dibs" also precludes the very notion of sharing anything, as established by the precedent-setting "Halfsies" case (1948) in which a person claiming halfsies on a Three Musketeers bar was entitled to the east side of a nickel candy bar brandished by a playmate. "Dibs" is different legal turf. Someone who is clearly not going to eat their tapioca pudding may be enjoined by a classmate calling "dibs" on it.
Where does the term come from? Americans have been using it since the early 1900s. The word comes from an old game called dibstones, which seems to be a variation on the game of jacks, involving tossing up small objects and catching them before a ball landed.
Jacks is one of those toys and games that enjoy cyclical popularity. One minute, everyone in school was tossing jacks and yo-yos, and then they gave that up for pitching pennies and tossing baseball cards at a wall to see who could get theirs closest.
By the way, I got dibs on your tapioca pudding. I love that stuff!
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