Humpty-dumpty

Humpty-dumpty
Humpty-dumpty from French nursery rhyme hero (the rhyme first attested in English 1810), earlier "a short, clumsy person of either sex" (1785), probably a reduplication of Humpty, a pet form of HUMPHREY (Cf. Humphrey). Originally, humpty-dumpty was a drink (1690s), "ale boiled with brandy," probably from hump and dump, but the connection is obscure and there might not be one.
'It's very provoking,' Humpty Dumpty said, ... 'to be called an egg -- very!' ["Through the Looking-Glass," 1872]

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Humpty Dumpty — is a character in a Nursery rhyme typically portrayed as an egg. Most English speaking children are familiar with the rhyme:: Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. : Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.: All the king s horses and all the king s men : Couldn t… …   Wikipedia

  • Humpty Dumpty — Humpty Dumpty. Humpty Dumpty est un personnage éponyme d une comptine anglaise, le plus souvent représenté comme un œuf. Paroles Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king s horses and all the king s men couldn t… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Humpty Dumpty — arriba del muro, antes de caer. Para el episodio del mismo título de la serie House, véase Humpty Dumpty (House). Humpty Dumpty (Tentetieso en España, Chucho en Venezuela) es un personaje en una rima infantil de Mamá Ganso, creado en Inglaterra.… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Humpty Dumpty — [hump′tē dump′tē] n. a short, squat character in an old nursery rhyme, a personification of an egg, who fell from a wall and broke into pieces …   English World dictionary

  • Humpty Dumpty — 1904 Buch Humpty Dumpty von William Wallace Denslow Humpty Dumpty ist eine Figur aus einem englischen Kinderreim.[1] Er ist ein menschenähnliches Ei, was im Text des Vierzeilers nicht ausdrücklich erwähnt wird …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Humpty Dumpty — Hump|ty Dump|ty a character in a ↑nursery rhyme (=an old song or poem for young children) and in the book ↑Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll, who is like a large egg in shape. The rhyme goes: Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,/Humpty Dumpty… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • humpty-dumpty — noun (plural humpty dumpties) informal 1》 a short fat person. 2》 a person or thing that once overthrown cannot be restored. Origin C18: from the egg like nursery rhyme character Humpty Dumpty, who fell off a wall and could not be put together… …   English new terms dictionary

  • Humpty Dumpty —    One of the best known nursery rhymes in English tradition, which has excited much misguided speculation and theory. What has been obscured by centuries of illustrated children s books is that the rhyme is simply a riddle, and the hearer has to …   A Dictionary of English folklore

  • humpty-dumpty — n. (pl. ies) 1 a short dumpy person. 2 a person or thing that once overthrown cannot be restored. Etymology: the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty, perh. ult. f. HUMPY(1), DUMPY …   Useful english dictionary

  • Humpty Dumpty (House) — Humpty Dumpty Episodio de House Un trabajador latino cae de un techo y su capacidad de trabajo está en peligro. Título Humpty Dumpty Episodio nº HOU 203 …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”