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The undisputed viral hit of Christmas 1852 was the country dance \u2018Pop Goes The Weasel\u2019, still taught to children today. On 13th December, 1852, the craze was seen at a party in Ipswich, where it was declared \u201cone of the most mirth-inspiring dances which can ever be well imagined\u201d.\nThe song was performed at the Palace and taught to the gentry but, within a few years, had gained a reputation as an irritating earworm beloved by the poor and illiterate. How did this plummet from posh society come about? And to what do its famous lyrics, \u2018half a pound of tuppeny rice / half a bag of treacle\u2019 actually refer?\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly attempt to unpick the song\u2019s meaning; discover what Humpty Dumpty was doing atop his famous wall; and reveal how The Eagle on City Road still cashes in on their nursery rhyme celebrity\u2026\xa0\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 \u2018London Has A Pub From A Nursery Rhyme\u2019 (Londonist, 2022): https://londonist.com/london/food-and-drink/london-has-a-pub-from-a-nursery-rhyme\n\u2022 \u2018Pop Goes the Weasel - The Secret Meanings of Nursery Rhymes, By Albert Jack\u2019 (Penguin, 2010): https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Pop_Goes_the_Weasel/BoidGaGcDPwC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=pop+goes+the+weasel&printsec=frontcover\n\u2022 \u2018Pop! Goes The Weasel | Rhymes in Time\u2019 (The Museum of London, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUbP7d2j6SQ\nLove the show? Join \U0001f334CLUB RETROSPECTORS \U0001f334 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!\nPlus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 bits of extra content and support our independent podcast.\nJoin now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks!\nWe'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts: podfollow.com/Retrospectors\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2023.\n\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices