LL-L: "Games" (was "Etymology") LOWLANDS-L, 11.JAN.2001 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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From: Sandy Fleming [sandy at fleimin.demon.co.uk]
Subject: "Etymology"

> From: Margaret Tarbet [oneko at mindspring.com]
> Subject: "Etymology"
>
> There is a (logically) related one I do remember:  'Wan's hidin
> [cover one eye slowly] twa's hidin [cover the other slowly], keek!
> keek!  keek!' [uncover both suddenly]

> From: Thomas [t.mcrae at uq.net.au]
> Subject: LL-L: "Etymology" LOWLANDS-L, 10.JAN.2001 (09) [E]
>
> An old Edinburgh song mothers sang o their babes in arms was 'Keekie Boo,
Ah
> see you, Hidin aroound the coarner.'

Amy Stewart Fraser's book "Dae Ye Min' Langsyne?" (Routledge &
Kegan Paul, 1975, ISBN 0 7100 8233 9) has various examples of
games like this, some of which I'm familiar with from childhood
(most of them occur in older collections as well). The Scots is
sometimes incorrectly parsed ("jimpin' sma'" should surely be
"jimp an' sma'", for example), but anyway, here's one of those
rhymes where the child rides on the adult's knee or foot, the
ride starting off gently and getting more energetic with each
line:

This is the wey the ladies rides, jimp an smaa, jimp an smaa,
This is the wey the gentlemen rides, trottin aa, trottin aa,
An this is the wey the cadgers rides! Creels an aa, creels an aa!

jimp - neat, trim
smaa - small
cadger - itinerant hawker
creels - in this context, a pair of large deep baskets slung over a horse.

Here's one of those where the baby's legs uncrossed and
recrossed while sitting on the adult's knee:

Leg ower, leg ower,
Doaggie ran ti Aiberdour,
He cam ti a stile
An UP he gaed an ower!

ower - over
doaggie - doggie
Aiberdour - Aberdour, an historic town on the south coast of Fife
gaed - went

Here's one for reciting while buttoning a child's coat:

Donal Cooper, carle, qo she,
Can ye gird ma coggie?
Couthie carlin, that A can,
As weel as onybody!
There's ane aboot the mou o't,
An ane aboot the body o't,
An ane aboot the leggies o't,
An _that's_ a girded coggie!

carle - a man (slightly derogatory)
carlin - a woman (slightly derogatory)
coggie - any wooden container constructed like a barrel
mou - mouth

Here's one where different parts of the child's face are
touched gently, and the underchin tickled for the last
line:

Brou brou brentie,
Ee ee winkie,
Nase nase nebbie,
Cheek cheek cherry,
Mou mou merry,
Chin chin chackie,
Catch a flee, catch a flee!

brou - brow
brent - tanned ("browned")
ee - eye
nase - nose
neb - beak
mou - mouth
chack - to bite or snap shut
flee - fly

Here's a finger-counting rhyme that starts with the thumb
and ends with the "pinky":

This is the man that brak the barn,
This is the man that staw the corn,
This is the man that ran awa,
This is the man that telt aa,
An puir wee pirly-winky peyed for aa, peyed for aa, peyed for aa!

brak - breached
staw - stole
corn - grain, eg oats
awa - away
telt - told
puir - poor
wee - little
peyed - paid
aa - all

Here's a rhyme for teaching a child to clap their hands:

Clap, clap handies,
Mammie's wee wean,
Clap, clap handies,
Daddie's comin hame.
Hame til his laddie,
Bonny wee bit laddie,
Clap, clap handies,
Mammie's wee wean!

wee - little
wean - little one, child
hame - home
til - to
bonny - pretty, good-looking

And finally, one where the adult moves their fingertip round
and round in a little girl's palm while she tries to keep a
straight face (I remember this game but can't remember how it
went for a boy - does anybody know?):

Lady, lady o the land,
Can ye thole a kittly hand?
If ye lauch or if ye smile
Ye canna be a lady!

thole - suffer, bear
kittly - ticklish
lauch - laugh
canna - can't

Sandy

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