Do you smash the bottom of your boiled egg shell?

[The Monz]

To stop a sailor from drowning! That's what my mamma told me, so it must be true.

 

You are soooo wrong. My mum said you had to smash it to stop the witches using it for a boat and she would never lie to me.

[rubydazzler]

Loving that story scoop ...

 

My mother always used to make us do it when I was a child. I'd actually almost forgotten about why until I saw Andy's post, but yet I always do it automatically anyway.

 

I'm now going to have to remember to ask whether I used to tell the kids to do it when they were little

[joeyannie]

yes!!!!! thank you Andy...you are the first person ever to confirm to me that witches do indeed sail in soft-boiled egg shells if you dont smash them up (and I have had many wierd stares over the years as I carefully take anti witch action!).

Maybe you can also answer my pressing question as to why it only counts on boiled eggs...I never feel the need to smash egg shells used in baking, or frying.

 

Just looked it up and apparently it may stem from the following childrens rhyme:

 

"Oh, never leave your egg-shells unbroken in the cup;

Think of us poor sailor-men and always smash them up,

For witches come and find them and sail away to sea,

And make a lot of misery for mariners like me.

They take them to the sea-shore and set them on the tide -

A broom-stick for a paddle is all they have to guide

And off they go to China or round the ports of Spain,

To try and keep our sailing ships from coming home again.

They call up all the tempests from Davy Jones's store,

And blow us into waters where we haven't been before;

 

And when the masts are falling in splinters on the wrecks,

The witches climb the rigging and dance upon the decks.

So never leave your egg-shells unbroken in the cup;

Think of us poor sailor-men and always smash them up;

For witches come and find them and sail away to sea,

And make a lot of misery for mariners like me."

[scoop]

Maybe you can also answer my pressing question as to why it only counts on boiled eggs...I never feel the need to smash egg shells used in baking, or frying.

 

Are you mad:wow:

 

There will be hundreds of witches sailg about in all the boats you have provided .

[Andy]

I'm glad it's not just me. I casually mentioend this at work this morning and every single person in the office looked at me as though I was bonkers!

 

At least if I am bonkers, I'm not alone.

[The Monz]

yes!!!!! thank you Andy...you are the first person ever to confirm to me that witches do indeed sail in soft-boiled egg shells if you dont smash them up (and I have had many wierd stares over the years as I carefully take anti witch action!).

Maybe you can also answer my pressing question as to why it only counts on boiled eggs...I never feel the need to smash egg shells used in baking, or frying.

 

Just looked it up and apparently it may stem from the following childrens rhyme:

 

"Oh, never leave your egg-shells unbroken in the cup;

Think of us poor sailor-men and always smash them up,

For witches come and find them and sail away to sea,

And make a lot of misery for mariners like me.

They take them to the sea-shore and set them on the tide -

A broom-stick for a paddle is all they have to guide

And off they go to China or round the ports of Spain,

To try and keep our sailing ships from coming home again.

They call up all the tempests from Davy Jones's store,

And blow us into waters where we haven't been before;

 

And when the masts are falling in splinters on the wrecks,

The witches climb the rigging and dance upon the decks.

So never leave your egg-shells unbroken in the cup;

Think of us poor sailor-men and always smash them up;

For witches come and find them and sail away to sea,

And make a lot of misery for mariners like me."

 

I never knew where it came from, but thank you. I knew I was right all along smashing em up.

[Salster!]

I don't know any witches that use eggshells anymore. Why would they when they can fly a dyson

[shoo gal]

I do - i pretend its someones head i hate and take great delight in smashing it in

[Meaks]

You must break the shell to bits, for fear

The witches should make it a boat, my dear;

For over the sea, away from home,

Far by night the witches roam.

[sTaGeWaLkEr]

But if you smash them then you can't draw faces on them and then grow cress for hair in the rest of the shell!

 

Don't you think that as an intelligent thirty-something, you should be out of this habit by now?