• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / What Does the Song “Pop Goes the Weasel” Mean and Where Did it Come From?

What Does the Song “Pop Goes the Weasel” Mean and Where Did it Come From?

April 5, 2020 by Karen Hill

The old song, with every verse ending in “Pop goes the weasel,” is a tale of Victorian London working-class poverty.

The Eagle of the lyrics was a famous pub.

The City Road still exists.

“Pop” means to pawn something for cash, while a “weasel” in cockney rhyming slang is a coat.

After spending his money on rice and treacle, followed by a visit to the pub, the man in the song is forced to visit the pawnshop for more money, thus selling his belongings, or “Pop goes the weasel.”

Related Facts

  • How Did the New Year's Song Auld Lang Syne Originate and What Does the Song and Poem Mean?
  • How Did the Song "Happy Birthday" Originate and Who Owns the Copyright to the Song?
  • What was a song duel and How did the Inuit use song duels to settle disputes?
  • Who was Matilda in the Australian Song "Waltzing Matilda" and When was the Folk Song Written?
  • What Was the Working Title of the Beatles Song "Yesterday" and When Was the Song Recorded?
  • Where does the phrase "a song and dance" come from and What does it mean?
  • What does the term "swan song" mean and Where does it come from?
  • What Does the Term "Song and Dance" Mean and How Did the Idiom For a Misleading Sales Pitch Originate?
  • Why Did Yankee Doodle Stick a Feather in His Cap and Call it Macaroni and What Does the Song Mean?
  • How Did "Greensleeves" The Christmas Song Get its Name and Where Did it Come From?
  • Who Wrote The Traditional Spanish Folk Song "La Cucaracha", how did it Originate, and What does it Mean ?
  • Who sang the traditional Mexican song La Bamba and Where did Ritchie Valens come from?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « How Did IKEA Get its Name, What Does it Mean, and How Did the Swedish Furniture Company Originate?
Next Post: Where Did the Saying “Ups-a-Daisy” Come From and What Does it Mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy