Dickie, Dickie Dexter Lyrics
Dickie Dexter has a wife and vexes her, so she puts him in a rabbit cage and feeds him peppermint and sage. Five lines, with his name at both ends and the roles reversed in the middle.
Dickie, Dickie Dexter
Dickie, Dickie Dexter
Had a wife and vexed her.
She put him in a rabbit cage
And fed him peppermint and sage -
Dickie, Dickie Dexter.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/dickie-dickie-dexter/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Written by
- Leroy F. Jackson
- Tune
- Snappy and singsong, the name chanted at both ends
- Best for ages
- 4 to 9 years
What Does Dickie, Dickie Dexter Mean?
The joke is a turn-around. Dickie vexes his wife, which means he annoys her, and instead of a scolding he gets a rabbit's life: a cage to sit in and herbs to eat. Sage is a grey-green kitchen herb, and peppermint is a leaf with a cool, sharp taste, so the diet is a funny, harmless one.
Notice the sounds. Dexter rhymes with vexed her, which is the main trick of the poem. Cage and sage make the second pair. The name at the start and the name at the end are the same, so the poem closes on the same words it started with. It is a nonsense picture, lightly told, and no one is hurt.
History and Origin
Leroy F. Jackson published this joke in 1918. Like Christopher Crump, the main character has a name made of two matching sounds.
Short comic verses about a husband and wife are common in nursery rhymes, and Jackson gives the genre a new twist by making the husband the one who ends up in the cage.
Learning Activities
- Rhyme the name: find other names that rhyme with Dexter's wife's reaction, like vexed her, flexed her or next to her.
- Herb smell test: with an adult, smell fresh mint and sage and compare them.
- Rabbit food: name three things a rabbit likes to eat and say which one Dickie might like best.
- Chant it: clap on the name and let the group answer with the last line.