The following sites (of many) give various variations of the rhyme and
possible origins.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_Goes_the_Weasel
http://www.rhymes.org.uk/a116a-pop-goes-the-weasel.htm
There are several possible meanings for some of the words:
Pop = pawn, or the noise a shuttle makes in a weaving loom at the end of
each passage, or the noise made by a spoked-wheel type measuring device for
yarn after the desired length of yarn is measured .
Weasel = shuttle or bobbin used by weavers, or type of iron used by tailors,
or weasel and stoat - Cockney rhyming slang for coat or a mechanical yarn
measuring device consisting of a spoked wheel with an internal ratcheting
mechanism that clicks every two revolutions, or a corruption of whistle -
short for "whistle and flute" - Cockney rhyming slang for a suit, often
pawned on Monday and retrieved at the weekend to wear on Sunday.
Monkey = Cockney slang for GBP500, or the way children moved around a
weaving shed, or a slang term for a public drinking vessel.
The Eagle is definitely a pub.
There doesn't seem to be any agreement on which meaning of the various words
is right. Naturally different people accept different interpretations -
those of us involved in textiles would prefer the weaving link, but people
in London would prefer the Cockney link.
Jean in Poole, Dorset, UK
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