Old Father Grey Beard

Old father Grey Beard,
Without tooth or tongue;
If you’ll give me your finger,
I’ll give you my thumb.

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  • bibalu says:
    April 19, 2009 at 5:26 AM

    “Grey Beard” (Greybeard) can refer to an old man or a pitcher for holding spirits.
    “Finger” could be referring to a way of measuring drinks – when you eyeball it, instead of using exact measurements – you measure on the glass with your two fingers held at the bottom of the glass. A person can ask for two fingers of spirits. Two fingers is roughly equal to a jigger which is 1 ½ ounces.

    This rhyme is from The Little Mother Goose (1912), illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith.

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