eeny, meeny, miny, moe
Childhood choosing rhyme
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe is a children's counting rhyme used to make random selections—choosing who's "it" in a game, or picking among options when the choice doesn't matter much.
The selector points at each candidate in turn while reciting the syllables; whoever lands on "moe" is chosen.
Adults invoke it to signal an arbitrary decision: I'll just eeny, meeny, miny, moe it.
- duck, duck, gooseChildren's chasing game in circle
- tinker, tailorItinerant mender and seamster
- counting rhymeVerse for selecting randomly
- pickPointed breaking tool
- nursery rhymeTraditional poem for young children
repetition · hide-and-seek · playground games · rhyme · hopscotch · jump rope rhymes · decision-making · tag · oral tradition · rock-paper-scissors · hot potato · folklore · leapfrog · meter · Simon says · alliteration · cadence · regional variations
eeny, meeny, miny, moedeliberate choice
Decision made on purpose
informed decision · cost-benefit analysis · scientific method · strategic planning · systematic approach
eeny, meeny, miny, moerandom number generator
Produces unpredictable numerical outputs
coin flip · blind draw · drawing straws · secret ballot · dice roll
eeny, meeny, miny, moejudicial ruling
Court's binding legal decision
parliamentary procedure · executive decision · contractual agreement