# What the f...? "Ipsnay on the icklesway" or something. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 19, 2000, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-f-ipsnay-on-the-icklesway-or-something/41845 "2000-11-19T15:12:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/779978/32.png) [@Stimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stimpy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-f-ipsnay-on-the-icklesway-or-something/41845/1 "2000-11-19T15:12:05Z")
I keep hearing this ‘term’ being used in films and on television, but haven’t got the foggiest what it means? Can you help? Is being British not helping [for once]?? And no, I don’t know how to spell any of it! I’ve heard many different versions… ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-f-ipsnay-on-the-icklesway-or-something/41845/2 "2000-11-19T15:17:56Z")
although I can’t help you directly on what you posted, it sounds like “pig latin” where you remove the first sound add it to “ay” and put it at the end of the word, so: ow-hay o-day ou-ya o-day = how do you do. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-f-ipsnay-on-the-icklesway-or-something/41845/3 "2000-11-19T15:30:04Z")
You just said “snip on the swickle”, or possibley “wickles”. “ixnay on the icklespay” would be “nix on the pickles”. It’s Pig Latin, or i should I say It’s Igpay Atinlay - you just move the first phoneme to the end of the word and add “ay” (or “way” if it’s a vowel), leaving short words like “an” and “the” alone. It’s a child’s game, which I thought was fairly universally known among English speakers. Sometimes used by adults for rhetorical emphasis, particularly with the “ixnay” construct which provides a very funny sounding negative. ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-f-ipsnay-on-the-icklesway-or-something/41845/4 "2000-11-19T15:33:23Z")
Ixnay = ‘nix’, generally meaning ‘don’t/ don’t bring up the subject/ don’t mention the particular \’ In other words, code or an aside for “don’t go there!” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Assailant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@The\_Assailant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Assailant)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-f-ipsnay-on-the-icklesway-or-something/41845/5 "2000-11-19T15:35:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by yabob \* > \*\*You just said “snip on the swickle”, or possibley “wickles”. “ixnay on the icklespay” would be “nix on the pickles”. It’s Pig Latin, or i should I say It’s Igpay Atinlay - you just move the first phoneme to the end of the word and add “ay” (or “way” if it’s a vowel), leaving short words like “an” and “the” alone. It’s a child’s game, which I thought was fairly universally known among English speakers. Sometimes used by adults for rhetorical emphasis, particularly with the “ixnay” construct which provides a very funny sounding negative. > > \*\* It actually reads as ‘Nips on the Wickles’. ---
**Author:** ![Stimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/779978/32.png) [@Stimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stimpy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-f-ipsnay-on-the-icklesway-or-something/41845/6 "2000-11-19T15:45:59Z")
HANKSTAY ON THE EPLYSRAY! did i get that right? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-f-ipsnay-on-the-icklesway-or-something/41845/7 "2000-11-19T15:51:36Z")
almost, it would be “anks - thay” (first sound, IMHO) ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-f-ipsnay-on-the-icklesway-or-something/41845/8 "2000-11-19T15:56:45Z")
> [@](#): > > It actually reads as ‘Nips on the Wickles’. Good point. “ipsnay” is ambigous as well as “icklesway”. It could either be “snip” or “nips”, just like “icklesway” could either be “wickles” or “swickle”. > [@](#): > > HANKSTAY ON THE EPLYSRAY! did i get that right? Move the complete “th”, since it’s pronounced as a single element - anksthay on the epliesray. The “ies” form of the plural scans a little better. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-f-ipsnay-on-the-icklesway-or-something/41845/9 "2000-11-19T16:01:14Z")
Angitday, ingwray, itquay eatingbay meway otay ostspay! ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-f-ipsnay-on-the-icklesway-or-something/41845/10 "2000-11-19T16:05:18Z")
And I went and goofed that up - emay. ---
**Author:** ![Stimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/779978/32.png) [@Stimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stimpy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-f-ipsnay-on-the-icklesway-or-something/41845/11 "2000-11-19T16:10:45Z")
Man, this is hard work! And can kids [and you guys] do this off the top of their heads without even thinking, like econdsay aturenay? ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-f-ipsnay-on-the-icklesway-or-something/41845/12 "2000-11-19T16:48:29Z")
It akestay acticepray. Actually, it’s the sort of thing kids will learn to do quite proficiently. There’s another thing like this called “afalfa talk” that some children used to pick up, which involved sticking “op” and “bop” between all the syllables, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-f-ipsnay-on-the-icklesway-or-something/41845/13 "2000-11-19T17:00:14Z")
There is another "Language "we used that was called “chopped up chineese” Simply spell the word and hang ong on the end of the letter. Say the vowels. Song Hong I Tong Well what can I say,we were kids. ---
**Author:** ![CheapBastid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@CheapBastid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheapBastid)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-f-ipsnay-on-the-icklesway-or-something/41845/14 "2000-11-19T17:00:44Z")
**N** _izz_ **ot t** _izz_ **o m** izz **ention D** _izz_ **ouble D** _izz_ **utch.** or for the more unintelligible: **N** _izz_ **ot t** _izz_ **o m** izz **ent** _izz_ **ion D** _izz_ **oub** _izz_ **le D** _izz_\*\*utch. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-f-ipsnay-on-the-icklesway-or-something/41845/15 "2000-11-19T17:06:42Z")
There’s also Ubby Dubby which I learned from Zoom (glad that show is back so my kids can watch) which involves putting a “b” sound after ever vowel. Thank you comes out thabank yobubu. ---
**Author:** ![Stimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/779978/32.png) [@Stimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stimpy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-f-ipsnay-on-the-icklesway-or-something/41845/16 "2000-11-19T17:12:30Z")
Maybe some of you could be employed in deciphering what people are saying when they claim to be possessed!☹ A fong oong oong long song onguetay shizzould otnay be cizzonnizzected to hong iong song unglay… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-f-ipsnay-on-the-icklesway-or-something/41845/17 "2000-11-19T18:54:01Z")
Anglicaway orcorumpay icisday, edsay icisneday Atimalay orcorumpay? ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-f-ipsnay-on-the-icklesway-or-something/41845/18 "2000-11-19T19:09:55Z")
Clever, Chronos. Unfortunately, I lack the classical education to do more than get the general idea.