"Ho hum," yawned Rabbit. "Ho hum," echoed Frog.

Kate of LokysKate of Lokys Registered User regular
edited April 2011 in Help / Advice Forum
The subject of this post is something my mother used to say during moments of boredom, as far back as I can remember. It stuck in my head, and in my sister's head, and both of us started using it around our significant others, so now it's stuck in their heads too.

The problem is, none of us has any damned idea where it's from. We know it's from something: a Google search turned up a couple of old unanswered Answers.com questions about it, my sister thinks it might be from one of her childhood books, and my fiance Pixels insists that he's heard it before, as in before I started using it around him, like it was dialogue from something.

The obvious first step here would be to just ask my mother, but she said she thought it was from The Wind in the Willows, which we're all quite sure is wrong - there's no rabbit in TWitW, and the only frog-like thing is Mr. Toad.

It's a long shot, but I was hoping that maybe somebody here remembers what book or film or television series the damned line is from. It's bugging the hell out of everyone involved. Please, end our torment!

Kate of Lokys on

Posts

  • MichaelLCMichaelLC In what furnace was thy brain? ChicagoRegistered User regular
    edited April 2011
    From the Little Jack Rabbit series?

    Maybe Billy Bunny, but doesn't seem like it.

    MichaelLC on
  • Kate of LokysKate of Lokys Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    I don't think it was anything that old - my sister and I were both born in the early 80s, and our mother was born in the mid 50s, so I'm pretty sure the source in question would have been either printed or reprinted around one of those times. It looks like the David Cory stuff is from the 20s, and I don't think it was ever reprinted.

    Kate of Lokys on
  • OnTheLastCastleOnTheLastCastle let's keep it haimish for the peripatetic Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    I can't find anything, Kate. Sometimes these phrases just spring up because they sound good. I mean if you're all repeating it, you can see why it'd be picked up if someone just said it as nonsense one day.

    But you're making me want to read The Wind in the Willows again.

    OnTheLastCastle on
  • MichaelLCMichaelLC In what furnace was thy brain? ChicagoRegistered User regular
    edited April 2011
    I don't think it was anything that old - my sister and I were both born in the early 80s, and our mother was born in the mid 50s, so I'm pretty sure the source in question would have been either printed or reprinted around one of those times. It looks like the David Cory stuff is from the 20s, and I don't think it was ever reprinted.

    Yeah, I was looking at older stuff because it sounded like a old phrase for a kid's book. Though 'echo' might not have been in use as much, would probably have said 'repeated'.

    MichaelLC on
  • ZedarZedar Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Closest I can find is
    "It's only a caterpillar!" cried Rabbit.
    "Only a caterpillar," echoed Frog.

    From Who's in Rabbit's House by Verna Aardema. Full text here.

    Edit: Looking through the story, I think I actually read that when I was young. I'd completely forgotten about it though.

    Zedar on
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  • Skoal CatSkoal Cat Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Was there never a Frog in any Winnie the Pooh stories?

    Skoal Cat on
  • LewieP's MummyLewieP's Mummy Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    "Froggy went a-courting and he did ride, ho hum"?

    LewieP's Mummy on
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  • CryogenCryogen Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Beatrix Potter wrote books that had rabbit and frog characters. I don't remember any of the stories specifically but ho-hum is a phrase that would fit with her style.

    Cryogen on
  • EshEsh Tending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles. Portland, ORRegistered User regular
    edited April 2011
    "Froggy went a-courting and he did ride, ho hum"?

    It's "Uh Huh", "Hey hey", or "Hum Hum"

    Esh on
  • Kate of LokysKate of Lokys Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    It does *sound* like something from A.A. Milne or Beatrix Potter, but I can't find the phrase itself in any of their books that I've checked.

    Honestly, at this point, if it was just my sister and I who were wondering about the damned thing, I'd say our mother did make it up. But Pixels insists that he's heard it before independently of me saying it to him, and more significantly, there's that answers.com question about it, too - if it was just a silly thing my mother said, a stranger wouldn't be asking questions about it on the internet.

    Gah, this is irritating.

    Kate of Lokys on
  • XaquinXaquin Right behind you!Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    It isn't in:

    *The Tale of Peter Rabbit
    *The Tale of Benjamin Bunny
    *The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle
    *The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher
    *The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck
    *The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies
    *The Tale of Two Bad Mice
    *The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes
    *The Tale of Mr. Tod
    *The Tale of Pigling Bland
    *The Roly Poly Pudding
    *The Pie and the Patty-pan
    *Ginger and Pickles
    *The Story of Miss Moppet

    By Potter

    Xaquin on
  • EshEsh Tending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles. Portland, ORRegistered User regular
    edited April 2011
    It sounds more like Frog And Toad to me.

    Esh on
  • XaquinXaquin Right behind you!Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Esh wrote: »
    It sounds more like Frog And Toad to me.

    That's what came to mind to me too.

    Xaquin on
  • Dropping LoadsDropping Loads Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Esh wrote: »
    "Froggy went a-courting and he did ride, ho hum"?

    It's "Uh Huh", "Hey hey", or "Hum Hum"

    I believe the official version is "Froggie went a courtin' he did ride uh-huh, uh-huh. Little froggie went a courtin' he did ride blah,blah,blah, something Bender is great. Froggie went a courtin' Bender is great uh-huh."

    Or something like that.

    Dropping Loads on
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  • SeolSeol Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    It's not Potter: the language may be similar, but Potter's characters had names.

    Seol on
This discussion has been closed.