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The author of the book “The Traditional Games of England, Scotland and Ireland” Alice Bertha Gomme suggests that the “London Bridge Is Falling Down” rhyme refers to the use of a medieval punishment known as immurement. Immurement is when a person is encased into a room with no openings or exits and left there to die.
Furthermore, who caused London Bridge is falling down? In 1845, Samuel Laing translated it and found a verse that’s similar to the song, London Bridge. According to this text, Olaf II, the king of Norway who is known as St. Olaf, destroyed London Bridge in the first part of the 11th century.
Similarly, what is the darkest nursery rhyme? RING AROUND THE ROSIE // 1881 But of all the alleged nursery rhyme backstories, “Ring Around the Rosie” is probably the most infamous. Though its lyrics and even its title have gone through some changes over the years, the most popular contention is that the sing-songy verse refers to the 1665 Great Plague of London.
As many you asked, what is the meaning of Pop Goes the Weasel? That’s the way the money goes, Pop goes the weasel. To “pop” is a London slang word for pawn. … Even a very poor Victorian Londoner would have had a Sunday best coat or suit that could be pawned when times got hard (Pop goes the weasel), perhaps on cold and damp Monday morning, only to be retrieved on pay day.
People ask also, how many times did London Bridge fall down? It crumbled in 1281 (due to ice damage), 1309, 1425 and 1437, and then there was a devastating fire in the seventeenth century. But despite its Jenga-like tendencies, the medieval London Bridge (including houses and shops) did last for 600 years, until it was demolished in 1831.
What was Ring Around the Rosie based on?
Ring a Ring o Roses, or Ring Around the Rosie, may be about the 1665 Great Plague of London: the “rosie” being the malodorous rash that developed on the skin of bubonic plague sufferers, the stench of which then needed concealing with a “pocket full of posies”.
What is the meaning of three blind mice?
The “three blind mice” were Protestant loyalists (the Oxford Martyrs, Ridley, Latimer and Cranmer), accused of plotting against Queen Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII who were burned at the stake, the mice’s “blindness” referring to their Protestant beliefs.
What does knick knack paddy whack mean?
Paddy is slang for a police officer and whack is slang for murder. … So knick knack paddywhack is a way of saying that even the police aren’t safe, and if the mob has a hit out on someone, there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it from happening.
What is the real meaning of Mary had a little lamb?
The lyrics of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” were inspired by Mary Sawyer, who lived in Sterling, Massachusetts, in the 1800s, reports the New England Historical Society. Mary took the young animal under her care after the poor thing was rejected by her sheep mother on the family’s farm.
What does it mean this little piggy went to the market?
Think about a “piggy going to the market”. Some have interpreted this to mean that the pig is going to market for slaughter. Working off this then, the “little piggy staying home” refers to a pig not yet ready to eat, and that must stay home to mature.
Why did the monkey chased the weasel?
The monkey chasing the weasel has been said to represent having to pawn one’s coat (“weasel and stoat” was cockney slang for coat) with the monkey representing the financial trouble. Many people would pawn their coats on Monday, and redeem it by Sunday to wear to church, pretending all was well — thus, “Pop!
What does the song all around the mulberry bush meaning?
This mid-19th century rhyme is thought to be about female Victorian prisoners exercising at HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire. The women would dance with their children around a mulberry tree – which still stands today – and they are believed to have taught their kids this rhyme to keep them entertained.
How many people died from the London Bridge falling?
It’s thought that at least 3,000 people died. As if that wasn’t enough, parts of the bridge collapsed on several occasions, including 1281, 1309, 1425 and 1437. The 1281 collapse happened when expanding ice from the frozen Thames literally crushed five of the arches.
Who’s burning the London Bridge Meaning?
This was based around the idea that a bridge would collapse unless the body of a human sacrifice was buried in its foundations and that the watchman is actually a human sacrifice, who will then watch over the bridge.
How many workers died building the Tower bridge?
Some 50 designs were put forward, and in 1884, architect Horace Jones’s now iconic design was chosen. Construction cost £1,184,000 and took 432 men eight years to build. Ten men died while working on it.
What is the meaning of the nursery rhyme Jack and Jill?
According to the Kilmersdon story, Jack and Jill were a couple expecting a baby. As the lyrics passed down to us attest, Jack popped out to fetch water but had an accident on the hill and sadly died. Jill experienced a heartbreak so severe that she passed away just after giving birth to her son.
Why are nursery rhymes so morbid?
Why are nursery rhymes so morbid? Because, until very recently, life was, frankly, pretty morbid. Human life was basically a cheap, replaceable resource. Child mortality was high, disease and starvation and war claimed life at a pretty high rate.
What is the oldest nursery rhyme?
“Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man” is one of the oldest surviving English nursery rhymes. The earliest recorded version of the rhyme appears in Thomas d’Urfey’s play The Campaigners from 1698.
What is the meaning of Georgie Porgie Pudding and pie?
The whole thing refers to a torrid gay sex scandal involving King Charles I. Georgie Porgie is thought to be a caricature of George Villiers, the 1st Duke of Buckingham and hardcore pretty boy.
What is a Rosie in Ring Around the Rosie?
The fatalism of the rhyme is brutal: the roses are a euphemism for deadly rashes, the posies a supposed preventative measure; the a-tishoos pertain to sneezing symptoms, and the implication of everyone falling down is, well, death.
What is Tuesday child full?
Tuesday’s child is full of grace. Wednesday’s child is full of woe, Thursday’s child has far to go.
Where did the old man played knick knack?
Give a dog a bone. This old man came rolling home. This old man, he played three, He played knick knack on my knee.
Why are children’s songs so dark?
If you’ve got kids, you’ve probably wondered at some point why so many of their favorite bedtime lullaby have dark undertones. … Essentially this means that any song could serve as a lullaby – to be soothing the singer simply has to adjust the pace and rhythm at which the song is sung.
What does Humpty Dumpty symbolize?
There are other theories around the meaning of ‘Humpty Dumpty’. … We could assume Humpty Dumpty is the King, the wall is his reign and fight to preserve power, the fall is his defeat, and ‘All the king’s horses and all the king’s men’ the army that failed to prevail. Another theory is that Humpty is actually a cannon.
Why did Old Mother Hubbard go to the cupboard?
Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard, To fetch her poor dog a bone. But when she got there the cupboard was bare, … To fetch her poor dog a bone.
