Eeny, meeny, miny, moe
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe is a children's counting rhyme, used to select "it" in games and similar purposes.
Today the most common version goes:
- Eeny, meeny, miny moe
- Catch a tiger by the toe
- If he hollers let him go,
- Eeny, meeny miny moe
With an optional second verse of
- My mother told me
- To pick the very best one
- And you are (not) it.
or
- Out goes one
- Out goes two
- Out goes another one
- And that is you.
Although many stories exist about the "real" meaning of the first line, they are apparently just nonsense syllables. The earliest known published versions in English date to 1855, one of which used the words eeny, meeny, moany, mite and the other hana, mana, mona, mike. Other versions have also appeared in both Britain and America, as well as in several other European languages.
In America, a formerly popular verse gave the second line as "catch a nigger by the toe," which in some eyes has tainted the entire rhyme.
Jocular use of a form of the rhyme by a Southwest Airlines stewardess to encourage passengers to sit down led to a lawsuit in 2003 charging the airline with racism:
- Eeny meeny miny mo
- Please sit down it's time to go
The passengers in question were African American and stated they were humiliated. Southwest is noted for a lighthearted approach to passenger control.
Referenced By
Counting-out game | Counting rhyme
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