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Path: utzoo!watmath!ljdickey
From: ljdickey@watmath.UUCP (Lee Dickey)
Newsgroups: net.misc,net.nlang
Subject: Re: Origins of the "F word" as a folk myth.
Message-ID: <9453@watmath.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 18-Oct-84 07:43:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: watmath.9453
Posted: Thu Oct 18 07:43:05 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 21-Oct-84 07:40:06 EDT
References: <180@scc.UUCP>, <360@amdahl.UUCP>
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 17

>>                                ...The darling ryhme:
>>
>> 	Ring around the rosie
>> 	Pockets full of Posies.
>> 	Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
>>
>> Is a reference to the bubonic plauge.  The plauge caused red circles to
>> appear on the skin. Posies were considered a charm to ward off the
>> plauge, and victims were burned to ashes.
>
> I heard that the "ashes" were in reference to making a mark on the
> forehead with ashes, another charm to ward off the Plague.

  Ashes seems to be a variation of "ah-choo".
  Sneezing is one of the symptoms of the plague.
  English children pronounce the last line differently from
  American children, saying "Ah-choo, ah-choo, all fall down".