Neevie-Neevie-Nick-Nack Lyrics
Hide a small treat in one fist, whirl both hands around and ask your child to choose. This Scottish rhyme turns a simple guessing game into a little ceremony.
Neevie-Neevie-Nick-Nack
Neevie-neevie-nick-nack,
Whilk hand will ye tak',
The richt are or the wrang,
I'll beguile ye gin I can?
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/neevie-neevie-nick-nack/
- Type
- Action Songs
- Tune
- Chanted rhyme
- Best for ages
- 2 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Neevie-neevie-nick-nack | Hide a small object in one fist and roll your fists around each other. |
| Whilk hand will ye tak' | Hold both fists out in front of the child. |
| I'll beguile ye gin I can? | Wiggle your fists teasingly before the child picks one. |
What Does Neevie-Neevie-Nick-Nack Mean?
The words are Scots. A nieve is a fist, whilk means which, richt and wrang are right and wrong, and gin means if. So the rhyme says: which hand will you take, the right one or the wrong one? I'll trick you if I can.
History and Origin
Robert Ford described the game in Children's Rhymes, Children's Games, Children's Songs, Children's Stories, his book of Scottish children's lore from the early 1900s. One player whirls two closed fists, one holding a small prize, and the other must guess which. Children in many countries play the same game with different rhymes.
Learning Activities
- Play it: hide a button, a sweet or a small toy, say the rhyme and let your child pick a hand.
- Swap roles: let your child hide the object and try to beguile you.
- Scots words: learn the Scots words and their English meanings.