Comments on: What's the deal, Banana Peel?

Question: What's the deal, Banana Peel?

dogmom — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:00:32 -0800

Rhyming Idioms: I know a couple of 4-year-olds that were rather tickled when I asked them "What's new, tennis shoe" They begged me for more...

So I gave them "What's the deal, Banana Peel", "What's up, Buttercup" and of course, "See you later, Alligator" with it's "After while, Crocodile". If it's ok with Mom & Dad, I'm going to teach them the chorus to "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover", but can you think of any more rhyming idioms that are 4-year-old appropriate?

By: bondcliff

bondcliff — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:03:53 -0800

Guess what?

What?

Chicken butt!

Ive said that to my five year old about 304982304 times so far and he doesnt seem to be getting tired of it yet.

By: i_am_joe's_spleen

i_am_joe's_spleen — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:04:05 -0800

INK PINK YOU STINK.

By: chiababe

chiababe — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:04:59 -0800

How now brown cow?

By: danb

danb — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:06:13 -0800

What's cookin', good lookin'?

By: occhiblu

occhiblu — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:07:52 -0800

What's the story, morning glory?

By: barrakuda

barrakuda — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:08:07 -0800

What's the plan, Stan?

By: unixrat

unixrat — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:09:04 -0800

In like Flynn
Out like Trout

By: amyms

amyms — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:09:06 -0800

One of our little neighbor boys used to tell his younger brother, "Shut your lip, potato chip."

By: blapst

blapst — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:12:22 -0800

What's shakin', bacon?

By: Metroid Baby

Metroid Baby — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:12:37 -0800

What's the word, hummingbird?

My parents would have gotten mad at me if I'd said "butt" or "shut your lip" at age four (though I can cuss freely around them as an adult), so use those with caution.

By: ALongDecember

ALongDecember — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:13:30 -0800

You got it made in the shade

By: cmiller

cmiller — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:14:02 -0800

What's shakin', Bacon?

By: Metroid Baby

Metroid Baby — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:16:50 -0800

There's also a scene from The Muppets Take Manhattan that would crack them up:

Bill the Frog : I'll pick up the bill today, Gil.
Gil the Frog : Would you like something from the grill, Jill?
Jill the Frog : No, meat makes me ill, Gil.

By: ethnomethodologist

ethnomethodologist — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:23:50 -0800

Later, skater!

By: Ike_Arumba

Ike_Arumba — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:25:46 -0800

I'm the boss, applesauce!

By: vytae

vytae — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:28:20 -0800

Okey Dokey, artichokey!

By: happyturtle

happyturtle — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:31:25 -0800

See you soon, Baboon.

(I have a four year old niece. I'm going to have to print this page out and take it to memorize on the plane next week when I go home for Thanksgiving. I'll be the coolest aunt ever!)

By: dogmom

dogmom — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:31:26 -0800

I marked Chicken Butt as best because I forgot how much that used to crack me up, and it made me giggle just reading it again, but I love all of them. It must be the 4-year-old in me.

An aside: For some reason, I thought there was one that rhymed with Jellybean, but "How's your spleen, Jellybean?" just doesn't sound right....

By: happyturtle

happyturtle — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:32:25 -0800

'Looking clean, jellybean' maybe?

By: amarynth

amarynth — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:34:10 -0800

A friend of mine used to sing a song full of rhymes like this. The only part that I remember is "Don't be silly, sasparilly" and something with "no siree bob" something something "corn cob." Now it's going to drive me nuts!

By: Mr_Crazyhorse

Mr_Crazyhorse — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:34:15 -0800

you missed, anarcho-syndicalist!

By: kimdog

kimdog — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:35:18 -0800

But you forgot the other part of Chicken Butt...

Do you know why?

Why?

Chicken Thigh!

(My boyfriend and I spend several minutes elaborating on this theme one evening in the not too distant past)

By: ceri richard

ceri richard — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:35:35 -0800

See you later, alligator
In a while, crocodile

By: wafaa

wafaa — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:35:51 -0800

A variation: What's up, chicken butt? I still say that to my kids, and they are in their 20's-early 30's.

By: xo

xo — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:35:57 -0800

Mama mia! Papa pia! Baby's got diarreah!

By: Rumple

Rumple — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:41:03 -0800

Guess why, chicken thigh?
Guess who, chicken poo?
Guess where, chicken hair?
Guess how, chicken cow?

- all work with my favorite 5 year old.

By: amarynth

amarynth — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:41:05 -0800

Ok, I was able to find some of the lyrics on google, but can't find the artist:

yes indeedy pumpkin seedy
no siree bob hey diddle corn cob
yeah but no but wait a minute could be so
maybe baby chicken and gravy
dont be silly saspirily
hardly yardly bailin up barley wait a little i dont know!

By: Lieber Frau

Lieber Frau — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:42:18 -0800

How about this joke?

"Hey, there's some snoo on your foot!"

"What's snoo?"

"I dunno, what's snoo with you?"

By: lannanh

lannanh — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:44:14 -0800

What's the deal, big wheel?

By: dan g.

dan g. — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:44:22 -0800

I make up at least one of these a day for my 2-year old daughter.
They're usually situational kind of things like when flinging food around:
"Keep it on the table, Mabel"
or when splashing water all over the bathroom:
"Keep it in the tub, bub"

Also, a variation on one listed above"
"what's the word, mockingbird"
or just
"what's the word, bird"

By: happyturtle

happyturtle — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:44:46 -0800

I'm sure something could be worked out with 'Who' and 'chicken poo'...

By: buka

buka — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:45:00 -0800

Don't panic, flight mechanic.

By: Slarty Bartfast

Slarty Bartfast — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:46:06 -0800

(Whenever someone has a good idea)

Nice thinkin', Abe Lincoln.

By: emelenjr

emelenjr — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:46:32 -0800

Okey Dokey, Smokey, which once confused me when an old girlfriend in college typed it as OKDOKSMOK. "Ock Dock Smock? What are you talking about?"

By: zpousman

zpousman — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:47:07 -0800

Re: jellybean -- Knowwhat-I-mean, Jellybean?

By: happyturtle

happyturtle — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:50:24 -0800

Oops, should have previewed...

Here are some fun ones here. I especially like 'chop chop lollipop'

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:52:41 -0800

I often quote form an old Bugs Bunny cartoon:

"What's in the bag, dad?"

Baghdad - get it? get it???

By: Oriole Adams

Oriole Adams — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:58:49 -0800

Neato, mosquito!

By: happyturtle

happyturtle — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:59:33 -0800

There's a Wocket in My Pocket might be enjoyed by the four year olds in question. Especially if you make it a competition to see who can recite the next line the fastest as you turn the page.

By: lostburner

lostburner — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:02:40 -0800

Understand, rubber band?
No prob, Bob.

By: papakwanz

papakwanz — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:07:04 -0800

There's a great Life in Hell strip with Akbar and Jeff trading these back and forth. Some classic ones in there like,

Why so glum, chum?
Why so sad, Chad?

and my all time favorite:

Why so cranky, Imperialist Yankee?

If someone could find it online (I can't) that would be aces.

By: lostburner

lostburner — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:07:07 -0800

Oh, also: "Ready, Freddy?"
To which the proper response is: "Ready, Betty!"

By: Metroid Baby

Metroid Baby — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:07:09 -0800

Easy-peasy lemon squeezy!

By: atchafalaya

atchafalaya — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:08:01 -0800

What's the deal, Batmobile?

By: bassjump

bassjump — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:08:14 -0800

Later, tater!
Don't slip, paperclip!
Tie your shoe, kangaroo!

By: Lieber Frau

Lieber Frau — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:15:16 -0800

By the way, if they like this, there's a great book called Sideways Stories from Wayside School in which a girl named Rondi and a bully named Terrence trade multiple mild insults in this format. For instance (this is a silly one) "Get lost, Jack Frost!"

These are fantastic books. Maybe a fun bedtime story?

Sorry for lack of link, for some reason my hyperlinks aren't showing up in the preview.

By: croutonsupafreak

croutonsupafreak — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:19:25 -0800

I never saw a purple cow,
I never hope to see one.
But anyhow, I'd rather see
a purple cow than be one.

By: penguin pie

penguin pie — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:23:36 -0800

Learn the words to Hoo Doo Voodoo by Woody Guthrie (/Billy Bragg & Wilco) and they might explode with excitement.

The first verse, to be read/sung at speed, is:
Hoodoo voodoo,
Seven twenty, one two;
Haystacks, hostacks,
A B C.
High poker, low joker,
Ninety nine a Zero;
Sidewalk, streetcar,
Dance a goofy dance...

...and so it goes on, it's all very rhythmic and a joy to read or sing aloud.

By: TomMelee

TomMelee — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:26:29 -0800

Similar but different:
Oh my there's a butfor on your head!
What's a butfor?
Sittin' on! (Or Poopin!)

Does it smell like updog in here? I'm pretty sure it reeks of updog.
(Amazingly LOTS of kids will agree that it smells like updog.)
Eventually, some kid will say..."What's updog?"
NOTHING MUCH DAWG WHAT'S UP WITH YOU?

By: IndigoRain

IndigoRain — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:36:17 -0800

Oooh! My mom and I used to do these when I was little!

Understand, rubber band?
I'm the boss, applesauce!
Get the point, double joint?

By: ian1977

ian1977 — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:42:32 -0800

What's up, buttercup?

Take it easy, sleazy.

By: The Bellman

The Bellman — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:44:02 -0800

Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey.

By: theora55

theora55 — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:45:03 -0800

we always said:
See you later, crocodile
After a while, alligator

I'm teaching a young friend to say Whattya know daddy-o and
Hey Mama pajama

By: in the methow

in the methow — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:45:24 -0800

Hustle up, Buttercup!

By: maryh

maryh — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:50:18 -0800

I use these on my son all the time.

Eat your lunch, honeybunch.
Put on your jeans, butter beans.
Shake your bacon, Howard Chaykin! (meaning, let's get going. sorry Mr Chaykin.)
Outta bed, logeyhead!
Off to school, vestibule!
Brush your teef, Keef!
What's your bummer, Joseph Strummer?
Chew your food, Evinrude!

Huh, I just realized that most of those are commands. The rhymes are a sugarcoat, it seems!

By: darksasami

darksasami — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:59:24 -0800

Do get The Purple Cow (Reflections on a Mythic Beast Who's Quite Remarkable, at Least) right, please.

I NEVER saw a Purple Cow;
I never hope to See One;
But I can Tell you, Anyhow,
I'd rather See than Be One.

Also, there's a postscript, from when Gelett Burgess got sick of being known for it:

CONFESSION: and a Portrait, Too,
Upon a Background that I Rue!

Ah, Yes! I Wrote the "Purple Cow" --
I'm Sorry, now, I Wrote it!
But I can Tell you Anyhow,
I'll Kill you if you Quote it!

By: ClaudiaCenter

ClaudiaCenter — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:05:30 -0800

See ya later, aligator; in a while, crocodile; I'm the boss, applesauce; get the point, elbow joint; understand, rubber band ... I forget the rest.

By: bluesky43

bluesky43 — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:08:07 -0800

beat feat!

By: bluesky43

bluesky43 — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:08:20 -0800

as in beat feet!

By: rsclark

rsclark — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:12:54 -0800

This was a variant on the Purple Cow that I remember from when I was a kid:

I never saw a purple cow,
I never how to see one,
But from the milk we're getting now,
There certainly must be one.

By: rsclark

rsclark — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:13:33 -0800

oops, how = hope

By: Ufez Jones

Ufez Jones — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:18:02 -0800

One I remember in Spanish, if that works for you:

person a: Que te pasa, calabasa?
person b: Nada nada, limonada

It's nonsense ("What's up pumpkin?" - "Nothing nothing, lemonade") but they're fun to say.

By: HotPatatta

HotPatatta — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:23:06 -0800

When someone's upset: "Don't flip, potato chip."

By: darksasami

darksasami — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:31:23 -0800

rsclark, I've seen that attributed as a response by Ogden Nash, but I can't confirm it.

And I've finally remembered my mom's favorite one of these. "Know what I mean, jelly bean?"

By: tristeza

tristeza — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:33:31 -0800

Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite, NIGHT!

By: jacobian

jacobian — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:37:36 -0800

Roger, Roger.
We have clearance, Clarance.
What's your vector, Victor?

By: andraste

andraste — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:09:59 -0800

Far out, brussels sprout!
All right, Vegemite!

By: edverb

edverb — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:10:20 -0800

A few from Mrs. Edverb (who teaches Pre-K):

When telling kids to form a line: "I need to see Ready Freddies and Ready Betties"

To sit crosslegged for Circle Time: "Park it on the carpet! Criss-cross applesauce!"

To get their attention: "1-2-3! Eyes on me"

When a kid is following the bad example of another kid: "Monkey see monkey do, monkey gets in trouble too!"

And one I remember, "Open your hand and close your eyes, and you will get a big surprise"

By: darksasami

darksasami — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:18:22 -0800

Oh yeah, that reminds me of "ready, settee, spaghetti," which I'd forgotten about. Also, when "Smooth move, Ex-Lax" became a popular taunt, the rejoinder "Not at all, Geritol" sprung up to counteract it.

By: NikitaNikita

NikitaNikita — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:34:36 -0800

Hasta la pasta!

By: TochterAusElysium

TochterAusElysium — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:05:44 -0800

In response to someone's request: "I'm on it like a bonnet."

By: spilon

spilon — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:09:14 -0800

"Slap my hand, black soul man."

"Up your nose with a rubber hose."

"Don't get wise, google eyes, or I'll knock you down to peanut size."

By: jacalata

jacalata — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:22:07 -0800

An Australian sociologist, June Factor, has published about a number of books compiling children's playground games and slang, including a ton of these rhymes.
-Far Out, Brussel Sprout!
-All Right, Vegemite!
-Unreal, Banana Peel!
-Real Keen, Baked Bean!
-Roll Over, Pavlova!
They're available on ebay or a few online bookstores.

By: aofl

aofl — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:47:18 -0800

What's the hub, bub?

Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey!

By: sandra_s

sandra_s — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:52:58 -0800

Hasta Lasagna, don't get any on ya!

By: chinston

chinston — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 18:04:12 -0800

These are great. For a scholarly take on this kind of stuff, see the great Lore and Language of Schoolchildren: "First published in 1959, Iona and Peter Opie's The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren is a pathbreaking work of scholarship that is also a splendid and enduring work of literature. Going outside the nursery, with its assortment of parent-approved entertainments, to observe and investigate the day-to-day creative intelligence and activities of children, the Opies bring to life the rites and rhymes, jokes and jeers, laws, games, and secret spells of what has been called 'the greatest of savage tribes, and the only one which shows no signs of dying out.'"

By: artifarce

artifarce — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 19:16:33 -0800

My daughter's class sits "criss cross, applesauce." Again with the sugar-coated commands.

By: flabdablet

flabdablet — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 19:22:31 -0800

Hands off cocks, on with socks!

By: quadog

quadog — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 19:57:58 -0800

A friend with weed is a friend indeed.

By: moreandmoreso

moreandmoreso — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 20:07:28 -0800

Perhaps, amarynth, you're thinking of Cab Calloway's song Everybody Eats When They Come To My House?

By: dismas

dismas — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:18:40 -0800

What's kickin', kitten?

By: kjs4

kjs4 — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:51:10 -0800

These remind me of the books by June Factor I read in Primary School, full of rhymes and poems. The titles were as follows:

Far Out, Brussel Sprout!
All Right, Vegemite!
Unreal, Banana Peel!
Real Keen, Baked Bean!
Roll Over, Pavlova!

By: datacenter refugee

datacenter refugee — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:28:37 -0800

Peace out cub scout!

By: clh

clh — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:46:24 -0800

(How are you?)
Peachy keen, jelly bean!

By: Dreama

Dreama — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:49:06 -0800

Peachy keen, jelly bean!

By: Dreama

Dreama — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:49:47 -0800

Jinx, clh!

By: catburger

catburger — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 04:36:50 -0800

Hey Joe, whaddya know?

By: Ness

Ness — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 05:10:55 -0800

Cheers, big ears

(Bonus, adults only response: **** off Noddy!)

By: sagwalla

sagwalla — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 05:14:11 -0800

Our answer to "Understand, Rubber Band?" was always "Understood, Robin Hood."

By: Sk4n

Sk4n — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 08:21:20 -0800

Slap me five. Other side. In the hole. You got soul.

(Where "in the hole" is a clenched fist).

By: ObscureReferenceMan

ObscureReferenceMan — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:07:41 -0800

See you later, alligator.
In a while, crocodile
Till then, penguin.
Manana, iguana.

And I thought the proper response to "Ready, Freddy?" was "Go, Joe!"

By: Pallas Athena

Pallas Athena — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:57:41 -0800

Where do you live? In a sieve?
What's your number, cucumber?

By: triggerfinger

triggerfinger — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 11:35:11 -0800

Easy Peasey Japaneasy

By: Jonsnews

Jonsnews — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 13:12:07 -0800

see you later calculator / computator

and just Nth the Chicken butt thing. Its one of my favorite things I have taught my kids. My two year old delights in saying it.

By: Ugh

Ugh — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:52:40 -0800

Make it snappy, pappy. Or what my brothers used to say, make it snappy, nappy.

By: divabat

divabat — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:30:59 -0800

My boyfriend and I have come up with a whole bunch of rhymes based on "Yellow Submarine" (sing it to the tune):

We all live in a yellow submarine
A tub of margarine
A squashed jellybean
A broken coke machine
A giant tangerine
A forest evergreen
A leg with gangrene
A place no one's been
A spot that's very clean
A cut of meat thats lean
Somewhere in between
With a guy that's very mean
The castle of a queen
Near a sight rarely seen
With a rebellious teen
State quarantine
On way too much caffeine

we also have some not-child-friendly rhymes for this...

By: nax

nax — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:17:10 -0800

stopped reading halfway thru (I'll get back to it) Hope no one beat me to it:

Off kilter, Metafilter!

By: Chrysostom

Chrysostom — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 20:28:44 -0800

See you soon, baboon.

By: Neilopolis

Neilopolis — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 16:26:11 -0800

"What's up, Doc? Can I rock?"

By: ORthey

ORthey — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 22:24:01 -0800

You're mine, Frankenstein

I'm on ya, lasagna

By: divabat

divabat — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 05:39:48 -0800

All the rhymes, recorded.