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The terrible truth behind nursery rhymes

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    The terrible truth behind nursery rhymes

    Ring around the Roses
    A pocket full of Posies
    etc.

    Obviously a reference to the plague - yes ?

    I'm having trouble finding a definitive source to reference and back this up. There seem to be as many unreliable sites that pish-posh the idea as unreliable ones that support it.

    Anyone here have any insight on this (and other nursery rhymes), or information on where I can track down useful information on the matter ?

    I'll hang up and listen to your response.

    #2
    The terrible truth behind nursery rhymes

    Obviously a reference to the plague - yes ?
    NATQI.

    (Do you like it? It's my new acronym. Stands for "Not according to QI". It's not catching on so far, sadly.)

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      #3
      The terrible truth behind nursery rhymes

      The Grand Old Duke Of York really was a notoriously promiscuous homosexual...

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        #4
        The terrible truth behind nursery rhymes

        could you flesh out these replies please ?

        Also, are we using the quick reply option or is the standard reply function the way to go ?

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          #5
          The terrible truth behind nursery rhymes

          I don't think there's a policy.

          Anyway, how much flesh do you want? QI said that Ring-a-Roses wasn't about the plague. I think Alan Davies probably lost ten points for saying it was, and then perhaps said something in a Mexican accent. But don't quote me on those.

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            #6
            The terrible truth behind nursery rhymes

            Qi is not generally accepted as an authority.

            However the Opieshttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Oxford-Dicti.../dp/0198600887 suggest it is unlikely as a throry for a number of reasons, including the first recorded appearance was in 1881 -

            Snopes deals with it toohttp://www.snopes.com/language/literary/rosie.asp

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              #7
              The terrible truth behind nursery rhymes

              QI said that Hitler's vegetarianism was a myth. However, recent correspondence in Private Eye, which cited some prima facie reputable sources, suggests that it's not a myth after all.

              It's shaken my faith in the program.

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                #8
                The terrible truth behind nursery rhymes

                yeah, but snopes, wiki, uncyclopoeidia (or however they're spelling that) and their ilk are hardly authoritative.

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                  #9
                  The terrible truth behind nursery rhymes

                  I think snopes is fairly authoritative. It does use citations for example.

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                    #10
                    The terrible truth behind nursery rhymes

                    I always use the standard reply, because that's the way things were back at the old place. The "Quick Reply" button, I think, replies to the particular post - this displays differently if you're using thr threaded view, which I don't like because I'm very old and set in my ways.

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                      #11
                      The terrible truth behind nursery rhymes

                      Yeah, all the kids are using threaded view, grandad.

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                        #12
                        The terrible truth behind nursery rhymes

                        Call that posting? I don't know. In my day you could read the words.

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                          #13
                          The terrible truth behind nursery rhymes

                          Humpty Dumpty was a cannon in Colchester, Essex. The Colchester Castle can tell you more on that one.

                          Twinkle Twinkle little star has a story too but I cannot recall it right now.

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                            #14
                            The terrible truth behind nursery rhymes

                            QI said that Hitler's vegetarianism was a myth. However, recent correspondence in Private Eye, which cited some prima facie reputable sources, suggests that it's not a myth after all.
                            A book I've got quoteds other sources saying he liked the odd sausage and a bit of Bavarian ham now and then, so myth rebutted again?

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                              #15
                              The terrible truth behind nursery rhymes

                              Eggchaser wrote:
                              QI said that Hitler's vegetarianism was a myth. However, recent correspondence in Private Eye, which cited some prima facie reputable sources, suggests that it's not a myth after all.
                              A book I've got quoteds other sources saying he liked the odd sausage and a bit of Bavarian ham now and then, so myth rebutted again?
                              That had nowt to do with food...

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                                #16
                                The terrible truth behind nursery rhymes

                                That had nowt to do with food...
                                This joke was brought to you courtesy of ENSA.

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