I do not recollect to have seen anywhere noticed the somewhat singular
fact, that our ancestors had distinct names for each of the five
fingers—the thumb being generally called a finger in old works. Yet
such was the case; and it may not displease the reader to have these
cognominations duly set forth in order, viz. _thumb_, _toucher_,
_longman_, _leche-man_, _little-man_. This information is derived from a
very curious MS. quoted in my Dictionary of Archaisms, p. 357; and the
reasons for the names are thus set forth:—The first finger was called
_toucher_ because "therewith men touch i-wis;" the second finger
_longman_, "for longest finger it is," (this, I beg to say, is intended
for rhyme). The third finger was called _leche-man_, because a leche or
doctor tasted everything by means of it. This is very curious; though we
find elsewhere another reason for this appellation, on account of the
pulsation in it, which was at one time supposed to communicate directly
with the heart. The other finger was, of course, called _littleman_
because it was the least of all. It is rather curious that some of these
names should have survived the wrecks of time, and be still preserved
in a nursery-rhyme; yet such is the fact; for one thus commences, the
fingers being kept in corresponding movements:
Dance, thumbkin, dance,
Dance, thumbkin, dance;
Dance, ye merry men all around:
But thumbkin he can dance alone;
But thumbkin he can dance alone.
Dance, foreman, dance,
Dance foreman, dance;
Dance, ye merry men all around:
But thumbkin he can dance alone;
But thumbkin he can dance alone.
And so on, substituting in succession _middleone_, _longman_, or
_middleman_, _ringman_, and _littleman_, and each verse terminating with
"thumbkin he can dance alone." In some instances the original name for
the third finger, _lecheman_, is preserved in the rhyme, but _ringman_
is most generally adopted.
It is worthy of remark too, that there is, even at the present day,
amongst many of the old women of the Peak of Derbyshire, a strong belief
in the superiority of _lecheman_ over _foreman_ in all matters of taste.
They say that the forefinger is _venomous_, and that the superiority of
the third is to be ascribed to its being possessed of a _nerve_; and as
they appear to pay a most superstitious reverence to a nerve, whether in
the finger, the tooth, or the ear, they do not fail to impress upon
their daughters the importance of tasting anything of consequence with
the third finger.
The names given to the fingers vary considerably in the different
counties. In Essex they call them
Tom Thumbkin,
Bess Bumpkin,
Bill Wilkin,
Long Linkin,
And little Dick!
And in some parts of Yorkshire,
Tom Thumbkins,
Bill Wilkins,
Long Daniel,
Bessy Bobtail,
And little Dick.
Similar appellations for the fingers are common in Denmark. Thus,
Thiele, iii. 136,—
Tommeltot,
Slikkepot,
Langemand,
Guldbrand,
Lille Peer Spilleman.
"Little Peer Spilleman" is "little Peter the fiddler," not a bad name
for the little finger. A slight variation of this is current in
Sweden,—
Tomme tott,
Slicke pott;
Långe man,
Hjertlig hand;
Lille, lille, lille, gullvive!
The following song for the four fingers is obtained from Lancashire:
This broke the barn,
This stole the corn,
This got none:
This went pinky-winky
All the way home!