# Origin of "Ziggy Zaggy, Ziggy Zaggy, Oi, Oi Oi" from "Man Show"
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy-oi-oi-oi-from-man-show/181340
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [June 12, 2003, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy-oi-oi-oi-from-man-show/181340 "2003-06-12T15:12:31Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@elfoldo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfoldo)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2003, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy-oi-oi-oi-from-man-show/181340/1 "2003-06-12T15:12:31Z")
I’ve tuned into the “Man Show” occasionally and at the end they all hold their beer up and say “Ziggy Zaggy, Ziggy Zaggy, Oi, Oi, Oi” and drink their beer. Anyone know the origin of that and what it means?
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### Author:  [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2003, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy-oi-oi-oi-from-man-show/181340/2 "2003-06-12T15:16:55Z")
It’s the end of a German drinking song/chant called “Ein Prosit.” Usually the song leader, at the end, calls out, “Ziggy zaggy, ziggy zaggy!” to which the hall replies, “Hoy hoy hoy!” Repeat both sets three times.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2003, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy-oi-oi-oi-from-man-show/181340/3 "2003-06-12T16:15:35Z")
Isn’t he dead?
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### Author:  [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy-oi-oi-oi-from-man-show/181340/4 "2003-06-12T16:24:33Z")
It’s also a very old English football crowd chant. Mainly associated with Coventry City.
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2003, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy-oi-oi-oi-from-man-show/181340/5 "2003-06-12T16:30:18Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Isn’t he dead?
Bill Foster, a.k.a. “The Fox,” who played piano, sang, and lead the chant in question, died, yes. He was reputed to be the world’s fastest beer drinker - the way he threw down those two glasses of beer was just scary. That was in 2000, during the show’s second season. The chanting and drinking continued without him, though.
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### Author:  [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2003, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy-oi-oi-oi-from-man-show/181340/6 "2003-06-12T18:40:14Z")
In high school, the German teacher took great delight in teaching his kids drinking songs. I would often hear the sound of thirty teenagers shouting “Ziggy zaggy, ziggy zaggy, oi oi oi” bleed through the walls into my sedate French classroom.
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2003, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy-oi-oi-oi-from-man-show/181340/7 "2003-06-12T19:21:17Z")
The German classroom was next to the French classroom?? I bet there were a lot of nervous students…
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### Author:  [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2003, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy-oi-oi-oi-from-man-show/181340/8 "2003-06-12T20:04:24Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Marley23 \*
> \*\*Bill Foster, a.k.a. “The Fox,” who played piano, sang, and lead the chant in question, died, yes. He was reputed to be the world’s fastest beer drinker - the way he threw down those two glasses of beer was just scary. That was in 2000, during the show’s second season. The chanting and drinking continued without him, though. \*\*
Thanks, Marley23…I always wondered about that guy. I noticed a big poster of him in the studio and figured he must have died.
He could damn sure slam some brewskis.
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### Author:  [@LabRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LabRat)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy-oi-oi-oi-from-man-show/181340/9 "2003-06-12T22:57:04Z")
He died of testicular cancer. Adam and Jimmy did a PSA a few weeks after he died, urging their audience to check “the boys” regularly.
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### Author:  [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2003, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy-oi-oi-oi-from-man-show/181340/10 "2003-06-12T23:03:49Z")
“The Fox” used beer glasses that were very thick and only held about 6-8 oz. It was all an illusion!
His talents behind the piano or on top of a barstool are **NOTHING** compared to the great John Valby. If The Man Show had him as the musical talent, the audience would pray for commercials.
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### Author:  [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2003, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy-oi-oi-oi-from-man-show/181340/11 "2003-06-13T02:00:52Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Marley23 \*
> \*\*The German classroom was next to the French classroom?? I bet there were a lot of nervous students… \*\*
Yeah, that’s too bad. You can reinforce the wall between the classrooms all you want, but they just come round through the adjoining corridor.
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### Author:  [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy-oi-oi-oi-from-man-show/181340/12 "2003-06-13T03:37:34Z")
The tantilizing lyrics of \*\*Ein Prosit \*\*:
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
der Gemütlichkeit,
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
der Gemütlichkeit!
And you wonder why they drink so much.
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### Author:  [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2003, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy-oi-oi-oi-from-man-show/181340/13 "2003-06-13T03:45:03Z")
I thought **Marley23** had given me my biggest laugh of the day. **Antonius Block** soon proved me wrong.
Thanks to you both. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy-oi-oi-oi-from-man-show/181340/14 "2003-06-13T03:58:52Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Antonius Block \*
> \*\*Yeah, that’s too bad. You can reinforce the wall between the classrooms all you want, but they just come round through the adjoining corridor. \*\*
“You know those Germans, if you don’t join the Party, they’ll come get ya!”–Peter Griffin
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2003, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy-oi-oi-oi-from-man-show/181340/15 "2003-06-13T04:03:26Z")
I’ll get you for this, **Antonius Block**.
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### Author:  [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2003, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy-oi-oi-oi-from-man-show/181340/16 "2003-06-13T04:13:07Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by White Lightning \*
> \*\*I thought **Marley23** had given me my biggest laugh of the day. **Antonius Block** soon proved me wrong.
>
> Thanks to you both. 🙂 \*\*
Thanks, **WL**. (blushes). I couldn’t have done it without **Marley23** ’s lead-in.
Back on-topic, there are variations on the theme, both usually chanted by drunken bunches of soccer supporters or students in general in the UK (and probably Oz for all I know):
**Zigger Zagger Zigger Zagger, Oi! Oi! Oi!**
**Oggy Oggy Oggy, Oi! Oi! Oi!**
are two that spring to mind. Always sung in chant-response format.
In 1967, according to [Britain’s National Youth Theater](http://www.nyt.org.uk/achieve.html),
> [@](#):
>
> Peter Terson (is) commissioned to write a play about football. The result - Zigger Zagger - takes London by storm, is televised by the BBC, represents Great Britain at the Berlin and Holland Festivals, and leads to a whole string of new plays for the Company written by Terson.
The play is available from [Amazon.co.uk](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140481222/ref=sr_aps_books_1_1/202-8109602-7059850), and apparently it’s [still performed](http://www.tringfestivalcompany.co.uk/Pages/Shows/Zigger.html) these days.
Ther’s even a recording (of the chant, presumably) by the [**Shed Enders**](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004WRY9/ref=sr_aps_music_1_1/202-8109602-7059850).
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### Author:  [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2003, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy-oi-oi-oi-from-man-show/181340/17 "2003-06-13T04:26:43Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Marley23 \*
> \*\*I’ll get you for this, **Antonius Block**. \*\*
I’d just posted a polite thankyou to **Marley23** for the lead-in, and I find this trash-talking from NY. :eek:
Let’s see… (_consults **Polite English --\> New Yawk** dictionary_)
Choose from the following:
A) **Oh yeah? You and whose _armée_?**
B) [_assuming Marley==Jacob_] **Whaddya gonna do, rattle yer chains at me?**
C) [_assuming Marley==Bob_] … (crickets chirping) … **OK, I actually am rather fond of your music.**
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2003, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy-oi-oi-oi-from-man-show/181340/18 "2003-06-13T04:32:25Z")
Well, the kindly lead-in wasn’t there where _I_ posted! I suppose all can be forgiven. 😉
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### Author:  [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2003, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ziggy-zaggy-ziggy-zaggy-oi-oi-oi-from-man-show/181340/19 "2003-06-13T04:51:05Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Marley23 \*
> \*\*Well, the kindly lead-in wasn’t there where _I_ posted! I suppose all can be forgiven. 😉 \*\*
OK. Alright then.
So, what’s **White Lightning** done for _us_ recently that we’re fighting over his approval?