Vulgar Verses [antikvár]

Foreword In 1989 came 'Rude Rhymes', in 1990 it was 'Dirty Ditties' and now - volume three. There seems to be a never-ending stream (as the little boy said looking down at his ) and even as I write this, new rhymes are coming in. Yet I can't help thinking that we're probably only skimming the surface. The fact is, people in all walks of life invent and/or retell rude rhymes; and age is not barrier either - the age range of the collection is over eighty years, running from young children to a kind contributor of 88. Another old chestnut pleasingly exploded is the one that says filth is a nasty male habit restricted to little boys, big boys and old boys. Not so. A quick glance down the names of people offering their rhymes will show that the habit is unisex. In fact, some of the offerings from young women were - well - extraordinary, including one who told me she composes them, at the drop of - er - a hat, and another who makes them up about men in the office concerning matters of size and performance. Perhaps there's scope here for a collection of Women's Workplace Wisdom, I thought. Meanwhile, on the word-by-mouth front, all is well. Children go on producing parodies and jingles - look out for Kylie Minogue's 'I should be so lucky' and only the