A children's punning/rhyming game

[Wilson Gray]

Yes, I've heard it as Puddin tame myself. But, as I noted, I've run
across it in published collections of nursery rhyme. These books give
it as "Putting and ta'en." FWIW, I interpret "ta'en" as "taken,"
because of the apostrophe and the fact that "putting" and "taken," in
some sense, go together, though "putting and ta(k)ing" would make more
sense. But, who knows? Nursery rhymes don't have to make sense.

-Wilson Gray

On Jul 23, 2004, at 10:49 PM, Jim Parish wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jim Parish <jparish at SIUE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: A children's punning/rhyming game
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> Wilson Gray wrote:
>> On my very first day in the first grade 1942 in Saint Louis, I was
>> victimized by the following word game:
>>
>> Q. What's your name?
>> A. Putting and ta'en!
>>       Ask me again
>>      And I'll tell you the same.
>
> I've heard of it, though I've never heard it myself; my impression was
> that the first line of the answer was "Puddin' tame".
>
> Jim Parish
>