Ip dip
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ip dip is a rhythmic rhyming game with many variations, the purpose of which is to select an individual from a group, for instance to choose the starting player of a game. It has been commonly used in British playgrounds for many years.
The speaker of the rhyme points to a different person in order as each stressed syllable is spoken; the person pointed to as the final syllable is spoken is thereby elected.
The aim is to delay and distract from counting the syllables or otherwise fixing the result; the rhyme should be so long that the (youthful) speaker loses count and cannot predict the chosen person. Perhaps this unpredictability is the reason that there are so many variations, including the practice of stringing variations together — which may be considered cheating.
[edit] Examples
Ip dip, sky blue. / Who's it? Not you. / Not because you're dirty, / Not because you're clean, / My mother says you're the fairy queen.
Ip dip dip / My blue ship / Sailing on the water / Like a cup and saucer.
Ippa dippa dation, / My operation, / How many people are waiting at the station?
Ip dip doo, / The cat's got 'flu, / The dog's got chicken pox, / And so have you.
Ip dip do / The cat's got the flu / The monkey's got the chicken-pox / So out goes you / Not because you're dirty / Not because you're clean / My mum says you're out of the football team.
A scatological version:
Ip dip doo, / Doggie did a poo, / Cat did a wee wee, / Out goes you.
