1. "Nick Nack"
Posted by Kashesan on Jan-17th-03 at 8:21 AM

I'm reading Pat Cornwell's "Jack The Ripper" She mentions a nursery rhyme that Sickert was fond of as a child, and the game of 'nick nacks' is referred to in one of the verses. ("I play nick nacks on my thumb') Does anyone know what nick nack was?

"This Old Man" is a Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme.  Here's a link to all the verses:

http://www.hendersonville-pd.org/nurseryoldman.html

These things have been around for centuries.  It may have been an old game, or just made up for the rhyme, which is itself kind of a game to teach kids numbers.

Found a site with nursery rhyme origins but alas no "This Old Man". Some of them are interesting reading though. For those that are interested see:

http://www.zeal.com/exit.jhtml?cid=933253&wid=101213271&so=&xr=/
website/profile.jhtml%3Fcid%3D933253%26wid%3D101213271

A lot of them have sinister origins such as "Ring Around the Rosy".

Thanks guys. (nick nack- nick nack)

The website spells it knick-knacks and the verse says knick-knacks paddywhack, so I was thinking that since the word knick-knacks means today "this and that" or a store that sells this and that, that it could mean played games of this and that with his thumb. What paddywhack means I don't have a clue, perhaps a British forum member would know, it sounds British. I think something like being hit by a policeman, or whacked by a paddy. I am just rambling and am guessing.

That's pretty funny.
I checked my Annotated Mother Goose under "First Lines" and This Old Man is not in there.
I'm not even sure it is Mother Goose.

Paddywhack-patty cake, patty cake mabe? (with the hands?)

I haven't a clew.  When I was little, they were just fun words to sing. 

Patricia Cornwell was on Book-tv recently and her lecture was great.  Apparently she's still getting information in to support her theory that will be published in the paperback version.