eeny, meeny, miny, moe

English edit

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eeny, meeny, miny, moe

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Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

Compare Dutch iene miene mutte, German ene mene mu.

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Noun edit

eeny, meeny, miny, moe (uncountable)

(playground games) A method of choosing between two or more people or things, used by children. A child points to each item in turn (or alternately), while saying a rhyme starting "Eeny, meeny, miney, moe", moving to the next item after each quarter-line (i.e. each word or pair of syllables). The item pointed to on the last word of the rhyme is the one chosen.
- 1959, John Knowles, chapter 3, in A Separate Peace:
  “...As for this thing”, ... he held up the shuttlecock, contaminated, in his outstretched right [hand], “this idiot tickler, the only thing it's good for is eeny-meeny-miney-mo”.
- 1985, Lawrence Durrell, Quinx, Faber & Faber; (Avignon Quintet), published 2004, page 1252:
  “Well”, said Lord Galen in some dismay, “I suppose we shall have to cast lots or play at Eeni Meeni Mina Mo?”

Translations edit

similar children's counting-out games in other languages

Arabic: حكرة بكرة
Bulgarian: а́ла ба́ла ни́ца ту́рска пани́ца, ой ги́ди Ва́нчо наш капита́нчо (ála bála níca túrska paníca, oj gídi Vánčo naš kapitánčo)
Cebuano: butikaw, butikaw, ikaw
Chinese:
Cantonese: 點指兵兵／点指兵兵 (dim² zi² bing¹ bing¹), 點指兵兵，點著誰人做大兵／点指兵兵，点着谁人做大兵 (dim² zi² bing¹ bing¹, dim² zoek⁶ seoi⁴ jan⁴ zou⁶ daai⁶ bing¹)

Mandarin: 一二三四五，上山打老虎 (yī èr sān sì wǔ, shàngshān dǎ lǎohǔ, literally “12345, climb a mountain and beat a tiger”), 你拍一，我拍一，一隻小貓坐飛機／你拍一，我拍一，一只小猫坐飞机 (nǐ pāiyī, wǒ pāiyī, yī zhī xiǎomāo zuò fēijī)
Danish: ælle bælle mig fortælle
Dutch: iene miene mutte
Finnish: entten-tentten-teelika-mentten
French: ams tram gram (fr)
German: ene mene miste, ene mene mu
Greek: α μπε μπα μπλομ του κίθε μπλομ (a be ba blom tou kíthe blom)
Hebrew: אן דן דינו
Hindi: अक्कड़ बक्कड़ बम्बे बो (akkaṛ bakkaṛ bambe bo), ईना मीना डीका (īnā mīnā ḍīkā)
Hungarian: Ec-pec/ecc-pecc, kime-hetsz, holnap-után bejö-hetsz, cér-nára, cine-gére, ugorj, cica, az͜ e-gérre, huss/fuss!
Icelandic: úllen dúllen doff
Indonesian: cap cip cup kembang kuncup, kuda lari kejepit pintu (literally "cap cip cup flower bud, a horse ran and was pinched by the door")
Italian: ambarabà ciccì coccò, (Liguria) igne migne magna mo
Japanese: どちらにしようかな (dochira ni shiyō kana)
Korean: please add this translation if you can
Norwegian: elle melle deg fortelle, akka bakka bonka rakka, enike penike
Persian: آن مان نواران
Polish: entliczek pentliczek czerwony stoliczek na kogo wypadnie na tego bec
Portuguese: uni-duni-tê m
Romanian: an-tan-te, ala-bala portocala
Russian: э́ники бе́ники (éniki béniki), э́ни бе́ни (éni béni)
Spanish: (Colombia) detín, marín, dedó, pingüé, (Spain) una, dole, tele, catole, pito, pito, gorgorito
Swedish: ole, dole, doff
Thai: please add this translation if you can

Anagrams edit

eeny-meeny-miney-mo