Do You Know Your Nursery Rhymes? Quiz

Answer: A big fat hen

This is a popular counting out rhyme, which was first published in London in 1805. The full rhyme counts up to 20, but people mostly quote up to 10.

Agatha Christie used the title 'One, Two, Buckle my Shoe' for one of her Hercule Poirot stories which was published in 1940.

"One, two, buckle my shoe.
Three, four, open the door.
Five, six, pick up sticks.
Seven, eight, lay them straight.
Nine, ten, a big fat hen!
Eleven, twelve, dig and delve.
Thirteen, fourteen, maids a-courting.
Fifteen, sixteen, maids in the kitchen.
Seventeen, eighteen, maids a-waiting
Nineteen, twenty, my plate's empty."

Answer: 3

The earliest surviving version of this rhyme dates back to 1744. While there is a bit of speculation as to the origins of the rhyme, the most common seems to be that it is a protest against the taxes on wool which were in place around this time.

The phrase 'Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full sir', is also in common usage in modern times, normally used sarcastically when someone feels he is being ordered around unfairly.

"Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes, sir, yes, sir,
Three bags full;
One for the master,
And one for the dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane."

Answer: No

This is a sad story of Humpty Dumpty. Humpty also appears in a host of other literary works, including Lewis Carroll's 'Through the Looking Glass', the sequel to 'Alice in Wonderland'.

"Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again."

Answer: Vinegar and brown paper

In the 19th century, vinegar and brown paper was used as a home cure for bruises on the body.

There are numerous verses in this rhyme - here are the first two.

"Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water;
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.

Up Jack got and home did trot,
As fast as he could caper,
And went to bed and bound his head
With vinegar and brown paper"

Jack is the most common name in used in old English nursery rhymes.

Answer: Lean

The Jack in this rhyme is reputed to be King Charles I (1625-1649). The story goes that when King Charles declared war on Spain, Parliament refused to finance him (leaving him lean!) so the queen, Henrietta Maria, imposed an illegal war tax (to get some fat!) after the King dissolved Parliament.

"Jack Sprat could eat no fat.
His wife could eat no lean.
And so between them both, you see,
They licked the platter clean".

Jack Sprat was a also nickname used for small people in the 16th Century.

Answer: Mouse

The earliest version of this nursery rhyme can be found in 1744. The words hickory, dickory and dock come from an ancient Celtic language which were used in some cases until the 19th century. They mean the numbers 8, 9 and 10. Shepherds used to count their sheep using these words even when they already spoke English.

Most people only know the first verse - here are some more:-

"Hickory, dickory, dock, the mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one, the mouse ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock

Hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck two, the mouse said "BOO!"
Hickory dickory dock.

Hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck three, the mouse said "WHEE!"
Hickory dickory dock.

Hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck four, the mouse said "No more!"
Hickory dickory dock."

Answer: Cradle

There are lots of theories on the origin of this rhyme, which seems to have first appeared in print in 1756. Most stories relate to mothers using carved out trees as a cradle and in some cases hanging the cradle from the trees so that the wind rocked the baby.

"Rock-a-bye baby, on the treetop,
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all."

Answer: Silver buckles

The original Bobby Shafto is thought to be an Irishman who died in 1737. However, the song came into common usage through the supporters of Robert Shaftoe (different spelling), who was a British Member of Parliament in the 1760s.

"Bobby Shafto's gone to sea,
Silver buckles at his knee;
He'll come back and marry me,
Bonny Bobby Shafto!

Bobby Shafto's bright and fair,
Panning out his yellow hair;
He's my love for evermore,
Bonny Bobby Shafto!"

Answer: Little Tommy Stout

This rhyme has been about in many different versions since around 1580, but the most commonly used modern version was first published around 1765. In the original version, unfortunately, the poor cat was left to drown, but this was changed to encourage children to understand that it was unacceptable and cruel to harm any animal.

The phrase 'Ding, dong, bell' also appears in several Shakespeare plays.

"Ding, dong, bell,
Pussy's in the well.
Who put her in?
Little Johnny Flynn.
Who pulled her out?
Little Tommy Stout.
What a naughty boy was that,
To try to drown poor pussy cat,
Who ne'er did him any harm,
But killed all the mice in the farmer's barn."

Answer: Candlestick

The first known version of this rhyme appeared in around 1815. Jumping over candlesticks was a little known way of telling fortunes. It was said to be good luck if you could jump clearly over a candle without extinguishing the flame.

"Jack be nimble,
Jack be quick,
Jack jump over
The candlestick."