Jack Be Nimble | |
---|---|
Real Name |
Jack |
First Appearance |
“Jack Be Nimble” (nursery rhyme) (1800s) |
Original Publisher |
English Nursery Rhyme |
Created by |
Unknown |
Origin[]
Jack Be Nimble is an English language nursery rhyme.
The most common version of the rhyme is:
- Jack be nimble,
- Jack be quick,
- Jack jump over
- The candlestick.
Origin and Meaning[]
Jumping candlesticks was a form of fortune telling and a sport. Good luck was said to be signalled by clearing a candle without extinguishing the flame.
Notes[]
The nursery rhyme first appeared in print in 1844. In the 1901 book Denslow’s Mother Goose, illustrator William Wallace Denslow portrayed Jack as a dog.