Nursery Rhyme Query

[Fred Shapiro]

Nigel Rees has the following query on his "Quote ... Unquote" website:

Has anyone discussed the origins and date of this nursery rhyme (oddly the
Opies ignore it): This old man, he played one / He played knick-knack on
my thumb / Knick-knack paddywhack, give a dog a bone / This old man came
rolling home ... ?

Can Barry or anyone else supply any information on this one?

Fred Shapiro


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Fred R. Shapiro                             Editor
Associate Librarian for Collections and     YALE DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS
  Access and Lecturer in Legal Research     Yale University Press,
Yale Law School                             forthcoming
e-mail: fred.shapiro at yale.edu               http://quotationdictionary.com
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