The Island English Tutor
Nanaimo English Tutor, AJ Mittendorf.
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               RICOCHET WORDS

The English language is replete with fun ideas and sounds. One sound element that is particularly catchy for its terse repition sound is ricochet words--word pairs (generally) that differ either in the initial sound (mamby pamby) or in the internal vowel sound (ding dong). Sometimes though, ricochet words will have an extra syllable thrown in between the pair (chug-a-lug), and sometimes they will seem to drop the last syllables of the final word. (These sometimes have three words, rather than two. Fred Flintstone's famous formulation, "yabba dabba doo" is a fine example; it could be expressed as "yabba dabba dooba," but for some reason, Fred feels free to forget the final "ba."

Below is one of the most complete lists of ricochet words available; it is broken into three categories: 1) those in which the initial sound changes from one word to the next 2) those in which the internal vowel sound changes from one word to the next 3) word trios with the final syllable(s) dropped.

(Incidentally, while I was compiling the following lists of ricochet words, I noted that there are also three distinct ways people spell them: Some people write them as pairs of separate words, as I have done for the most part. Some hyphenate them, and still others write them as single words. Which way is correct? I haven't a clue. I just chose a system and tried to be consistent.)

1
ABRACADABRA
BOOGIE WOOGIE
BOW WOW
DING-A-LING
EENZY WEENZY
FUDDY DUDDY
HIGGLEDY PIGGLEDY
HANKY PANKY
HELTER SKELTER
HEEBY JEEBIES
HOCUS POCUS
HODGE PODGE
HOITY TOITY
HOT SHOT
HUGGER MUGGER
HUM DRUM
ITTY BITTY
ITZY BITZY
JEEPERS CREEPERS
LOCAL YOKEL
LOVEY DOVEY
MUMBO JUMBO
NITTY GRITTY
OKEY DOKEY
PELL MELL
RAG TAG
RAZZLE DAZZLE
RING-A-LING
ROOTIN TOOTIN
SHAKE N BAKE
SUPER DOOPER
TEENY WEENY
TOOTIE FRUITY
WILLY NILLY
WHAM BAM
WING DING

2
BOO HOO
BRICK-A-BRACK
BUDDABING BUDDABANG
CHIT CHAT
CLIP CLOP
CRIS CROSS
DILLY DALLY
DING DONG
DRIP DROP
FIDDLE FADDLE
FLIM FLAM
FLIP FLOP
GIBBLE GABBLE
HEE HAW
HIP HOP
JIBBER JABBER
JINGLE JANGLE
KNICK KNACK
LOOK ALIKE
MISH MASH
PISH POSH
PITTER PATTER
PING PONG
RIFF RAFF
SHELLY SHALLY
SHIP SHAPE
SING SONG
SPIT SPOT
SPLISH SPLASH
SQUISH SQUASH
TICK TOCK
TEENY TINY
TEETER TOTTER
TICK TACK
TIP TOP
WISHY WASHY
VICE VERSA
YIN YANG
ZIG ZAG

3
BIBBIDY BOBBIDY BOO (BIDY)
CLICKITY CLACK (ITY)
CLIPPITY CLOP (ITY)
CRACKER JACK (ER)
GOBBLEDY GOOB (LEDY)
HIPPITY HOP (ITY)
HICORY DICKORY DOCK (ORY)
HONKY TONK (Y)
KITTY CAT (Y)
RICKETY RACK (ETY)
SCOOBY DOO (BY)
SCOOBY DOOBY DOO (BY)
TOODLE LOO (DLE)
YABBA DABBA DOO (BA)
YIKITY YAK (ITY)

The ricochet words above are standard expressions, for the most part, in English; you can even find them in the dictionary. More often, though, ricochet words are made up on the spot as the need arises. "Bibbidy bobbidy boo," for example, was never heard of until Disney released Cinderella in 1952. Nowhere have ricochet words been better or more densely used than in the Disney song from The Sword in the Stone: "Higitus Figitus" by Richard and Robert Sherman:

                                                                                                            copyright © 2013 by A. J. Mittendorf All rights reserved

Higitus Figitus

Higitus Figitus zumbabazing
I want your attention ev'rything!
We're packing to leave; come on let's go.
Books are always the first, you know.
Hockety pockety wockety wack,
abracabra dabra nack 
Shrink in size very small;
we've got to save enough room for all 

Higitus Figitus migitus mum
pres-ti-dig-i-ton-i-um! 
Cicero you belong to the "C's" ;
alphabethical order please!
Ali-i-ca-fez bal-a-ca-zez
malacamez meripides.
Diminish diminish, Dictionary
those words in your vocabulary.
Hockety pockety wockety wack, 
that's the way we have to pack.

Higitus Figitus migitus mum
pres-ti-dig-i-ton-i-um! 
Higitus Figitus zoomacazam,
don't get in a trafic jam
Sugar bowl, you're getting rough;
the poor old tea set's cracked enough!
Hockety pockety wockety wack,
odds and ends and bric a brac 

Higitus Figitus migitus mum,
pres-ti-dig-i-ton-i-um. 
Higitus Figitus migitus mum,
pres-ti-dig-i-ton-i-um!

Looking Forward to being your Island English tutor for Nanaimo, BC, Canada - AJ Mittendorf: The Island English Tutor. 
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