Last Updated on July 26, 2024 by Mitch Rezman

There is an old counting rhyme that refers to seeing magpies. Like most old verses it has many hundreds of variations, but the first couple of lines are pretty much always the same. Below is how I was taught:
One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret,
Never to be told.

So if you see one magpie then sorrow is coming your way. In the past, this obviously was a huge problem (e.g. black death, the fire in London, the sinking of the Mary Rose). Since then, however, our forefathers came up with lots of solutions to this terrible issue!

If you see a solo magpie you have to do these things to avert the sorrow, in no particular order:

• Saluting the magpie. (It is quite well known all magpies hold an honorary rank in the British army).
• Saying “Morning general”. (To save time, you can do this while you salute).
• Saying “Where’s your mate?” (Frankly I feel this is a bit impertinent to someone of that rank, but there you go).
• A more formal version of the above is “Good morning Mr Magpie. How is your lady wife today?” (I would suggest using both until you know for certain how formal the magpie is).
• Doffing your hat (I find this one quite difficult and time-consuming since I often have to return home to get the hat).
• Spitting three times over your shoulder. (Check for saluters behind you beforehand).
• Flapping your arms, shouting “caw caw” and generally doing your best to pretend to be the second magpie. (I’m not sure if this one helps you, but it does mean others get to count to two.)

Just follow these simple instructions and you will never suffer magpie-related sorrow again!

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Mitch Rezman

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