Andy wrote looking for information about a Scottish song and whether or not anyone out there is familiar with it. Here’s what he wrote:

Hello. I was taught a song from my Scottish relatives and wonder if you know of it.

Inty, tinty, tamerary, ram, tam, toosh.
Go under your bed and find a wee fat moose.
Cut it up in slices and fry it in the pan.
But mind ya leave the gravy fer the wee fat man.

Have always wondered if this was a family song or a recognised nursery rhyme.

Thanks

Andy.

I haven’t been able to find Andy’s song. I did find some rhymes that have a similar beginnings. They’re counting-out rhymes…

Here’s one from Edinburgh:

Inty, tinty, tethery, methery,
Bank for over, Dover, ding,
Aut, taut, toosh;
Up the Causey, down the Cross,
There stands a bonnie white horse:
It can gallop, it can trot,
It can carry the mustard pot.
One, two, three, out goes she!

Another rhyme:

As inty, tinty, lathera, mothera,
As an tan, toosh tock

There’s one more place I found inty – in the form of eenty. It was collected in the book “I Saw Esau” (2000) by Iona and Peter Opie:

As Eenty Feenty Halligolun
The cat went out to get some fun.
He got some fun and tore his skin
As Eenty Feenty Halligolin.

Note: This rhyme can also be found in, “The games & diversions of Argyleshire” (1901) by Robert Craig Maclagan.

My guess is that inty comes from eenty. Eenty stands for one in Scottish children’s counting-out rhymes. It comes from from een , which is “one” in Scots.

Please let us know if you ever heard of Andy’s rhyme in the comments below. Feel free to share other inty tinty – eenty teenty rhymes too!

Mama Lisa