Tweedledum and Tweedledee

“Tweedledum and Tweedledee”

Roud #19800

John Tenniel’s illustration, from Through the Looking-Glass (1871), chapter 4

Song

Written
England

Published
1805

Form
Nursery rhyme

Writer(s)
Traditional

Language
English

Tweedledum and Tweedledee are fictional characters in an English nursery rhyme and in Lewis Carroll‘s Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There.The names have since become synonymous in western popular culture slang for any two people who look and act in identical ways, generally in a derogatory context.

A phrase called up in my head for strange goings on in life. Today’s blog brought those names up because all that’s been going on these last two weeks, things of Christmas and things not of Christmas. Travels to New Jersey. Visits with family, stories between us and the big cookie exchange. My daughter-in-law and family baked 13 dozen thumbprint cookies and gave them away. These pictures are the end result. Tom said they actually baked 15 dozen. Two stayed in the house and all the tweedles ate them. Not me. I was at my daughter’s.

During all this my daughter had shoulder surgery. My job, daughter to surgery and daughter home from surgery. Hang out with her during her recuperation. It’s almost two weeks, and healing is apparent. Smart doctor who prescribed cookies with meds.

Family favorite Thumbprint Cookies (Recipe below)

Nothing like a cookie to make life joyous, especially at Christmas time.

Cookie tray Thumbprint cookies & Meringue cookies

Thumbprint Cookies: Gail Ingis’s recipe

½ pound butter (2 sticks) or 1 cup Crisco

2 egg yolks

½ cup brown sugar

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

1teaspoon vanilla

1 bag of walnut meal (at Trader Joe’s) or ground walnuts

Mix ingredients (EXCEPT THE EGG WHITE)

Roll into approximately ½” balls then roll into the walnuts, place on cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven 375 degrees for 2 minutes, depress center with thumb, then finish baking approximately 12 minutes for larger cookie or 5-8 minutes for smaller cookie. If you like crispy, bake until edges are slightly browned. When cool, fill depressed center with combination of slightly warm water, vegetable food coloring and confectioners sugar to an almost pasty consistency. (Color for holidays if desired)

Tweedledee and Tweedledum Through the Looking-Glass (1871).

Common versions of the nursery rhyme include:

Tweedledum and Tweedledee
    Agreed to have a battle;
For Tweedledum said Tweedledee
    Had spoiled his nice new rattle.

Just then flew down a monstrous crow,
    As black as a tar-barrel;
Which frightened both the heroes so,
    They quite forgot their quarrel.

Aren’t Tweedledum and Tweedledee cute? What do those names bring up for you?

Blurb for Indigo Sky: