Chambers (_Popular Rhymes_, p. 117) gives the rhyme the same as that given by Mr. Patterson. In _Notes and Queries_, 6th Series, vii. 235, a North Yorkshire version is given as— Nievie, nievie, nack, Whether hand wilta tak, Under or aboon, For a singal half-crown? Nievie, nievie, nick, nack, Whilk han’ will thou tak? Tak the richt or tak the wrang, I’ll beguile thee if I can. Jamieson (_Supp., sub voce_) adds: “The first part of the word seems to be from neive, the fist being employed in the game.” A writer in _Notes and Queries_, iii. 180, says: “The neive, though employed in the game, is not the object addressed. It is held out to him who is to guess—the conjuror—_and it is he who is addressed_, and under a conjuring name. In short (to hazard a wide conjecture, it may be) he is invoked in the person of Nic Neville (Neivi Nic), a sorcerer in the days of James VI., who was burnt at St. Andrews in 1569. If I am right, a curious testimony is furnished to his quondam popularity among the common people.” It will be remembered that this game is mentioned by Scott in _St. Ronan’s Well_—“Na, na, said the boy, he is a queer old cull. . . . He gave me half-a-crown yince, and forbade me to play it awa’ at pitch and toss.” “And you disobeyed him, of course?” “Na, I didna disobey him—I played it awa’ at ‘Nievie, nievie, nick-nack.’” See “Handy-dandy.” Nettles Nettles grow in an angry bush, An angry bush, an angry bush; Nettles grow in an angry bush, With my high, ho, ham! This is the way the lady goes, The lady goes, the lady goes; This is the way the lady goes, With my hi, ho, ham! Nettles grow in an angry bush, &c. This is the way the gentleman goes, &c. Nettles grow in an angry bush, &c. This is the way the tailor goes. —Halliwell’s _Nursery Rhymes_, 227. (_b_) The children dance round, singing the first three lines, turning round and clapping hands for the fourth line. They curtsey while saying, “This is the way the lady goes,” and again turn round and clap hands for the last line. The same process is followed in every verse, only varying what they act—thus, in the third verse, they bow for the gentleman—and so the amusement is protracted _ad libitum_, with shoemaking, washing clothes, ironing, churning, milking, making up butter, &c, &c. (_c_) This game is practically the same as the “Mulberry Bush.” The action is carried on in the same way, except that the children clap their hands at the fourth line, instead of each turning themselves round, as in “Mulberry Bush.” The “High, ho, ham!” termination may be the same as the “I, O, OM” of Mr. Addy’s version of “Milking Pails.” See “Mulberry Bush,” “When I was a Young Girl.” New Squat