Old Mother Twitchett (Riddle) Lyrics
A strange old woman with one eye and a long tail that gets shorter every time she goes through a gap. The answer is in every sewing box.
Old Mother Twitchett (Riddle)
Old Mother Twitchett had but one eye,
And a long tail which she let fly;
And every time she went through a gap,
A bit of her tail she left in a trap.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/old-mother-twitchett/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Spoken riddle
- Best for ages
- 4 to 9 years
What Does Old Mother Twitchett (Riddle) Mean?
The answer is a needle and thread. The needle's one "eye" is the hole the thread goes through, and the thread is her long tail. Every time the needle goes through the cloth, a gap, a little of the thread is left behind as a stitch, so her tail gets shorter and shorter.
History and Origin
The Real Mother Goose (1916) prints the rhyme with its answer as the title: "A Needle and Thread". When most clothes were sewn and mended at home, every child knew exactly how a needle and thread behaved, which made this a favorite riddle.
Learning Activities
- Guess first: say the riddle and let your child guess.
- Thread a needle: use a large plastic needle and wool to sew through card.
- Eye of a needle: look closely at a needle's eye with a magnifying glass.