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.)
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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.
