Milk, Milk, Lemonade

Mark A. Mandel mamandel at LDC.UPENN.EDU
Thu Mar 11 01:09:36 UTC 2004


I can't figure out what was posted by Sam and what by Barry. My memory
-- childhood in 1950's -- is only of a rhyme, with no remembered
pointing or other reference:

        What's your trade?
        Lemonade.
        Around the corner ice cream's made.

"Trade" isn't common now in the sense of 'business; line of work', and
I'd be surprised to hear it productively from a child or teenager. Was
it current even then? Or does it indicate a possible earlier origin for
this rhyme in various forms?

-- Mark A. Mandel
   Linguistic Data Consortium, University of Pennsylvania



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