Anyone remember that "First is the worst, second is the best" rhyme kids used to do? Where did that come from?

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• betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.world ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Some kid who spends their time coming up with rhymes instead of getting good at running fast, probably.

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  • weimaraner_of_doom@piefed.social ⁨24⁩ ⁨minutes⁩ ago

    Jimmy came in first place. What a loser! – The Kid in Second Place

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• db2@lemmy.world ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Anyone remember that “First is the worst, second is the best” rhyme kids used to do? Where did that come from?

  Now I’m best. No takebacks.

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  • pitaya@lemmy.zip ⁨9⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Anyone remember that “First is the worst, second is the best” rhyme kids used to do? Where did that come from?

    Oh yeah? I don’t see you with a treasure chest

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• Corporal_Punishment@feddit.uk ⁨8⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  All I can remember from being at primary school in the 80s is that the first three were the only consistent ones.

  First the worst, second the best, third the one with the hairy chest.

  After that it changed depending on the day/time/vibes

  I recall - fourth the dirty donkey, 5th the golden eagle.

  We all got bored after that.

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  • jaschen306@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    I distinctively remember the hair chest one.

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• Kolanaki@pawb.social ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  I was wondering about the origins of this and a couple other kid things that somehow managed to spread far and wide without the internet involved for the past few days, myself. It’s crazy how this kind of stuff likely does not have a concrete starting point that you can say “this nusery rhyme originated from little Billy Sojack, age 6, on the playground of Chester A. Arthur elementary in Small Town, OH.”

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  • Apepollo11@lemmy.world ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    I’m surprised they have it in the US!

    I knew they said it in Australia and Canada, though - I don’t know, I guess I just assumed it was a commonwealth thing.

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    • tlekiteki@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Yes! The Americans reject some elements of English culture just for being weird.

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• OriginEnergySux@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  “First the worst, second the best” is a playground chant of unknown, likely early-to-mid 20th-century origin, commonly used by children in the UK, US, Canada, and New Zealand to tease those in the first two positions. It is a form of oral folklore used to mock the winner and praise the runner-up.

  Thats wot googel sed

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  • ComradeMiao@lemmy.world ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Google or Google ai?

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    • OriginEnergySux@lemmy.world ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Google ai summerising google

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• fletcher_bosom@lemmy.world ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Jimmy.

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• SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Someone who sucks because the second half doesn’t even fucking rhyme.

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  • howrar@lemmy.ca ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    It does rhyme. The e in second and best are assonant.

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    • SpruceBringsteen@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      the fuck did you just call me?

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    • SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Well, looks like we got ourselves a reader!

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    • queerlilhayseed@piefed.blahaj.zone ⁨9⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Also third is the one in the polka-dot vest.

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  • Pappabosley@lemmy.world ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Because they forget the last bit: First the worst, Second the best, Third the one with the hairy chest

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    • davidgro@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      I didn’t know what OP was talking about until your comment unlocked the memory.

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• SolidShake@lemmy.world ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Yeah. But third’s a turd so…

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  • Apepollo11@lemmy.world ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Third’s the one with the hairy chest!

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    • TaterTot@piefed.social ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      That’s not all! That’s not all!

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• kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  When I was in Kindergarten, we would all race to get to our seats in the morning and call out “first”, “second”, “third” and so on as we sat down. We’d of course, always have the first two jeering and arguing about being in “First place!” And “First is the worst, second is best!” No idea how a bunch of 5-6 year olds knew this ubiquitous phrase.

  But there was this one weird kid who kept coming in third, and he’d always say the same thing. “Well, actually, if you start counting at 0, then I’m actually second. So I’m the best.” And that guy was the worst. I wish I could say that that kid was destined to be a programmer and got an early start on the meme, but no… he was just just dumb and still is.

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