6.705, Hide-n-Seek

[The Linguist List]

----------------------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List:  Vol-6-705. Sat 20 May 1995. ISSN: 1068-4875. Lines: 77
 
Subject: 6.705, Hide-n-Seek
 
Moderators: Anthony Rodrigues Aristar: Texas A&M U. <aristar at tam2000.tamu.edu>
            Helen Dry: Eastern Michigan U. <hdry at emunix.emich.edu>
 
Assoc. Editor: Ljuba Veselinova <lveselin at emunix.emich.edu>
Asst. Editors: Ron Reck <rreck at emunix.emich.edu>
               Ann Dizdar <dizdar at tam2000.tamu.edu>
               Annemarie Valdez <avaldez at emunix.emich.edu>
 
-------------------------Directory-------------------------------------
 
1)
Date:         Tue, 09 May 95 19:51:14 EDT
From: Jack (JAREA at UKCC.UKY.EDU)
Subject:      Re: 6.655, Sum: Hide-n-Seek all clear call, Babies' intellect
 
2)
Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 09:34:46 -0400
From: ECOLING at aol.com
Subject: Hide-and-seek all-clear
 
-------------------------Messages--------------------------------------
1)
Date:         Tue, 09 May 95 19:51:14 EDT
From: Jack (JAREA at UKCC.UKY.EDU)
Subject:      Re: 6.655, Sum: Hide-n-Seek all clear call, Babies' intellect
 
Back in the late twenties we all knew that cry, "Ollie ollie otts in free!"
and knew it to be a corruption of "All the other outs in free!"
 
Ki semenat ispinaza, non andet iskultsu!
 
J. A. Rea                                     jarea at ukcc.uky.edu
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2)
Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 09:34:46 -0400
From: ECOLING at aol.com
Subject: Hide-and-seek all-clear
 
For the Hide-and-Seek call
 
Allee Allee Outs-in-Free or All-in-free
 
and variants, it is not easy to determine an etymology or an original form,
and in particular the similarity to existing words is highly misleading in
such cases.  Whatever the original call was, especially if in a foreign
language, it will often have been reformed to make it partly more transparent
than the original.  Compare
 
  sparrowgrass      (even in dictionaries!) for older
asparagus.
 
Compare for the history of Eenie Meenie Minie Mo and its variants in other
languages in the paper by Mary Ann Campbell and Lloyd Anderson.
 
"Hocus Pocus Nursery Rhymes"
 
in Proceedings of the 12th Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic
Society, 1976.
 
Eeenie Meeni Minie Mo, catch a rooster by the toe
Hana mana mona mike, Barcelona bona strike
Ene Tene Mone mei, Pastor lone bone strei
Meeny Meeny Miney mo, Cache ton poing derierre ton dos
etc. etc.
 
And yes, Opie & Opie 1951 The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhyms is a good
source for such things.
 
Best, Lloyd Anderson
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-6-705.