A rough-cut way forkidsto decide who ’s the unsuitable “ it ” in agameof tag is to practice the tally - out rhyme “ eeny , meeny , miny , moe ” ( sometimes spelled “ eenie , meenie , miny , moe ” ) . You ’ve in all probability just nail the verse in your head teacher , but if not , here ’s a refresher :
“ Eeny , meeny , miny , moe , see a tiger by the toe , If he hollers , let him go , Eeny , meeny , miny , moe . ”
Though the ending effect is purportedly random , the speaker can rig the outcome — for instance , by adding “ you are it ” at the end . The utilisation of the verse has become beyond theplaygroundand into pop music finish : It ’s been used byHomer Simpsonto prevent anuclear meltdownand byThe walk Dead ’s Negan todecidewho in Rick ’s group is going to fit a grisly end .
dissimilar translation of “ eeny , meeny , miny , moe ” subsist around the humanity , and there seem to be just as many theory about the rhyme ’s potential origin — ranging from sheepman counting sheep to priests pick out sacrificial victims .
Catching a Tiger by the Toe
In the English - speaking world , the rhyme can be traced back to at least 1815 . In an 1855 variation of the scholarly journalNotes and Queries , someone credit only as “ W. ” recall theversionof the rime they used when choosing who was “ it ” for tag in New York 40 years earlier :
“ Hana , mana , mona , mike;Barcelona , bona , strike;Hare , ware , frown , venac;Harrico , warrico , we , wo , wac ! ”
Although those words do n’t fit the ones we chant today , the rhythmic flow is the same ; “ W. ” remember it after reading a version of the rhyme that had beenprintedearlier that year , one that is slightly more similar to the modern edition :
“ Eeny , meeny , moany , mite , Butter , swither , boney , bang , Hair , bit , frost , neck opening , Harrico , barrico , we , wo , wack . ”
In 1888 , chemist Henry Carrington Bolton published a subject of count - out rhyme that includedGerman and Dutch jingles , show that they control elements of the rhymes cited in America : “ Eena , tena , mona mi , / Pastor , lone , bone , strei ” and “ Eene , meenen , mukken , / Porceleinen stukken , ” severally . But which version came first is unknown . Bolton ’s book is also contains what is almost themodern versionrhyme , which had the n - word in place oftiger / tiggerand was , grant toBolton , “ the favourite among American children to - twenty-four hour period . ”
The next year , Reverend Walter Gregorpresenteda collection of rhymes ( later write in 1891 [ PDF ] ) to the Buchan Field Club in Scotland ; he recorded both the n - word variant and one which usedneighbour . These two Scottish variants usedsquealsandquarrels , respectively , or else ofhollers .
Over the geezerhood , the racial slur interlingual rendition of the verse has gratefully strike out of favour , with replacement watchword includingtinker(a derogatory British terminal figure for a beggar),piggy , and — today ’s most democratic alternative — Panthera tigris .
The Possible Origins of the Rhyme
As is the display case with manynursery rhyme , there are a fewdark theoriesabout the origin of “ eeny , meeny , miny , moe . ” One , asexplainedby source Robert Hendrickson , is that this counting - out rhyme and others , “ are relics of formulas Druid non-Christian priest used to pick out human sacrifices . ”
Another sacrificial start peak was propose by polyglot Jan Naarding and Klaas Heeroma , who debate that an older Dutch edition of the song , which begins “ anne manne miene mukke , ” might number from an Old Saxon fortune telling chant . A high priest would purportedly say the words to prompta signfrom the god that would indicate who should be sacrificed .
Yet another homicidal theory is tied to theCornish versionof the verse :
“ Ena , mena , mona , mite , Pasca , lara , bona , ( or bora ) , bi , Elke , belke , boh , Eggs , butter , cheese , bread , Stick , push-down store , Oliver Stone drained . ”
In an 1880 clause forThe Cornishmannewspaper , Thomas Walter Sandreysuggestedthat these lineage originated in ancient Britain and are about deduct food from someone before they are “ beaten to destruction by sticks . ”
A less bestial proposition is that the word are acorruption of Latin . An unnamed author in an 1884 issue ofOverland Monthlytheorized that the jingle was originally a “ medieval normal in monkish Latin — probably a magic spell or supplication used in purge gobs . ” When non - Romance speakers repeated the chant , the words morphed into gibberish .
There are other theories that staunch from the words being misheard between language . One is thatBritish colonizers in Indiaheard therhyme“ubi eni mana bou , baji neki baji thou , elim tilim latim gou , ” which was sung while act as games . Linguist Derek Bickerton believe that the lyrics staunch from the Saõ Tomenese phraseine mina mana mu , which translates to “ my sister ’s tiddler ” in English . Yet another suggestion is that the verse derive from a Swahili verse form that was recited by enslave people andincludesthe line “ iino ya mmiini maiini mo . ”
Linguist John McWhorter think that the rhyme comes from aCeltic - linguistic communication counting system , often known as the Anglo - Cymric Score , which was used by shepherds to count their sheep . Different versions that have beenrecordedinclude “ yan , tan , tethera , methera , pimp ” and “ aina , peina , para , pedera , pump ” ( both of which are one to five ) . These Holy Scripture definitely have the same rhythmic quality as “ eeny , meeny , miny , moe , ” but the radio link is n’t certain . There ’s alsodoubtabout the shepherds ’ score being ancient — the number do n’t snip up until the 18th century and might actually derive from Welsh — and even about whether they were ever really used to count sheep ( but there is grounds that they were used byknitters ! ) .
“Eeny Meeny Miny Moe” Around the World
Many languages have standardized sound counting - out rhymes that are partially nonsensical . That may just pure coincidence , but inBolton ’s word , it makes “ the eyeshot of a rough-cut origin reasonable . ” Although that origin stay unsealed , here are a few object lesson from around the globe to compare for yourself :
nomenclature
RHYME
French
“ Une , mine , mane , mo , Une , okay , fane , fo , Maticaire et matico , Mets la main derrière ton dos . ”
German
“ Ene mene miste , Es rappelt in der KisteEne Mene MeckUnd Du bist weg . ”
Danish
“ Ene , mene , ming , mang , Kling klang , Osse bosse bakke disse , Eje , veje , vaek . ”
Dutch
“ Iene miene mutteTien pond grutteTien pond kaasIene miene mutteIs de baas . ”
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