ramalamadingdong

See also: Ramalamadingdong

English

Etymology

Originally a nonsense word in a song recorded in 1957 by The Edsels.

Interjection

ramalamadingdong

1. A nonsense word used in songs, in later use evoking 1950s American popular music.
   • 1961, “Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)” (track 1), in Who Put the Bomp‎^[1], performed by Barry Mann:

     Who put the bomp in the bomp bah bomp bah bomp? Who put the ram in the rama lama ding dong?

   • 1985, Roy Kerridge, “Pentecostals, Chapel, and May Day Celebrations”, in Bizarre Britain: A Calendar of Eccentricity‎^[2], Akadine Press, published 1999, →ISBN, →OCLC, pages 55–56:

     ‘Last week,’ continued the pastor, ‘I prayed for gifts from the Lord, I went to bed and later woke the whole house singing psalms in tongues! Someone told me I was saying “Oh Lord, when will our church revive?” in modern Greek. Now Lord, we ask for miracles! We ask to speak in tongues!’ […]
     As the meeting ended, the hum of tongues from the congregation continued, and one coloured girl was jumping up and down. I thought of throwing in a ramalamadingdong, but decided it might lack sincerity. Someone shouted several phrases in what sounded like Russian. When the meeting ended, three young men stood hugging each other in the emptying hall and beseeching the Lord, with closed eyes, to give them tongues and larger congregations.

   • 1989 February 3, Bob Levey, “THE RETAILING JEWEL NEIMAN-MARKUP”, in The Washington Post‎^[3], →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 24 March 2023‎^[4]:

     "Bob, Washington has never seen a store like Neiman-Markup. We will take no prisoners. We will make the competition look as if they forgot to eat their Wheaties this morning. We will have customers lined up around the block, credit cards in hand, ready to rock and roll. When it comes to retailing, Bob, we will put the ram back in the ramalamadingdong. Neiman-Markup will be the D.C. store by which all others are measured." "You ever say anything that isn't a cliche?"

   • 1991 April 23, “The Gamma Goochie” (track 3), in Ordinary Average Guy‎^[5], performed by Joe Walsh:

     Do the gamma goochie, lots of sheep feel sorry. Phoneyboneyloney, ramalamadingdong.

   • 2017, Ian Donaldson, chapter 17, in A Rainbow in the Basement‎^[6] (Fiction), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 163:

     “Yes—Oh! So, as the danger passed, if you want to call it that, the glowing of my soul would have faded until you couldn’t see it any more. I really should be dead—for a second time,’ she laughed. ‘Only I’m not. I’m as right as rain! Well, maybe not rain. I’m as right as... Ramalamadingdong!’

   • 2019 September 27, “Overdose”‎^[7]performed by Phi11a:

     King Kong sing song, ramalamadingdong. Sound like a factory I’m fucking with my bling on.