Eenity, Feenity, Fickety, Feg Lyrics
A chant of nonsense words and four names, Ann, Dan, Toosh and Jock. Whoever the leader points to on Jock is out.
Eenity, Feenity, Fickety, Feg
Eenity, feenity, fickety, feg,
El, del, domen, egg,
Irky, birky, story, rock,
Ann, Dan, Toosh, Jock.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/eenity-feenity-fickety-feg/
- Type
- Counting Rhymes
- Tune
- Chanted counting-out rhyme
- Best for ages
- 3 to 9 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Eenity, feenity, fickety, feg | The leader points round the circle, one player per word. |
| Ann, Dan, Toosh, Jock | Slow down, and land the last point on Jock. |
What Does Eenity, Feenity, Fickety, Feg Mean?
The words have no meaning; they are there for their rhythm. Counting-out rhymes like this one share sounds across many countries, and eenity, feenity sounds like a cousin of eeny, meeny. The four names at the end, Ann, Dan, Toosh, Jock, give the rhyme a strong finish, so everyone knows exactly when the count stops.
History and Origin
Robert Ford prints it in Children's Rhymes, Children's Games, Children's Songs, Children's Stories (1904). He describes the leader's finger coming down with a whack on "Jock", and the child chosen being sent out in a great hurry.
Learning Activities
- Count out: choose a leader to point while everyone chants.
- Name swap: replace Ann, Dan, Toosh and Jock with names from your group.
- Rhythm clap: clap once on every word to keep the beat even.