Ip dip is a rhythmic

counting-out game A counting-out game or counting-out rhyme is a simple method of 'randomly' selecting a person from a group, often used by children for the purpose of playing another game. It usually requires no materials, and is achieved with spoken words or hand ...

with many variations, the purpose of which is to select an individual from a group, for instance to choose the starting player of a game. It has been commonly used in

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English ...

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...

s for many years. The speaker of the rhyme points to a different person in order as each stressed syllable is spoken; the person pointed to as the final syllable is spoken is thereby

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a populatio ...

. The aim is to delay and distract from counting the syllables or otherwise fixing the result; the rhyme should be so long that the speaker loses count and cannot predict the chosen person. Perhaps this unpredictability is the reason that there are so many variations, including the practice of stringing variations together — which may be considered

cheating Cheating generally describes various actions designed to subvert rules in order to obtain unfair advantages. This includes acts of bribery, cronyism and nepotism in any situation where individuals are given preference using inappropriate cri ...

Examples

A Welsh version of the rhyme runs: :Ip dip dip / :My blue r littleship / :Sailing on the water / :Like a cup and saucer, / :But you are not in ''it''.Olmert, Michael (1996). ''Milton's Teeth and Ovid's Umbrella: Curiouser & Curiouser Adventures in History'', p.121. Simon & Schuster, New York. . Another version, from Northern Ireland, runs: :Ip dip sky blue, / :Granny sitting on the loo, / :Doing farts, playing darts, / :Out goes you! / :O-U-T spells Out! A common Australian version goes: :Dip, dip, dog shit / :Who trod in it? / :What colour was it? / :Who saw it? / :(Say the name of a colour) / :(Name a biblical figure) / :You are not it. Other recorded versions include: :Ip dip sky blue / :Who's it, not you! A variation of this version was featured on Bluey: :Ip dip sky blue / :Who's it not you! / :Not because you're dirty, / :Not because you're clean. / :My mum says you're the fairy queen! / :Ip dip doo, / :The cat's got the flu, / :The dog's got the chickenpox , / :So out goes you.{{cite book, last=Roud, first=Steve, title=The lore of the playground : one hundred years of children's games, rhymes and traditions, year=2010, publisher=Random House Books, location=London, isbn=978-1-905211-51-7 :Ip dip doo / :Doggy did a poo / :Went to the cinema at half-past two / :When the film started / :Everybody farted / :Out goes you. A version from World War One was recorded by Thomas Ringlestone: :Ip dip doo / :The cat's got the flu / :The cat's got the plague / :I choose you! Another version popular in the Vatican City runs: :Ip dip dog shit / :Fucking bastard silly git / :You are not it / :You tit. The last version is taken from a booklet of children's rhymes from 1803: :Ip dip don't slip / :You'll break your leg and become a crip / :Do you leememba / :Fly, Leela a Benda / :Who will it be?

References

Children's games