ditty
noun

- a short simple song

- an especially simple and unaffected song

Merriam-Webster, Cambridge Dictionary

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WORD ORIGIN

The word “ditty” has an interesting etymology that traces back to Latin word dictatum, meaning “something dictated” or “a thing composed”. This is derived from dictare, meaning “to say repeatedly” or “to compose”.

From Latin, it passed into Old French as dite or dité, meaning “a saying” or “a composition” particularly in poetic or musical form.

In Middle English (around the 14th century), it became dite or ditie, where it was used to describe both a short song and a poem, often with lyrical content.

Over time, the meaning of “ditty” evolved in English to specifically refer to a short, simple song, often with a light, melodic nature. The word retained its poetic and musical roots, but narrowed to more casual, often popular tunes.

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WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS DITTY

According to the Guinness World Records “Happy Birthday to You” is the most recognized song in the English language. The song’s lyrics have been translated into at least 37 languages.

Although “Happy Birthday” is now in the public domain, Warner Chappell Music had previously claimed copyright for it in the US and had been collecting around $2-million each year in licensing fees. In 2015 the copyright claim was declared invalid and Warner Chappell agreed to pay back $14-million to ex-licence holders.

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MOST RECOGNIZABLE SONGS

A year-long survey by the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester measured the speed with which 12,000 people recognized famous songs. The Top-10 most easily recognized were:

1.  Wannabe - Spice Girls  (2.29 seconds)
2.  Mambo No 5 - Lou Bega  (2.48 seconds)
3.  Eye of the Tiger - Survivor  (2.62 seconds)
4.  Just Dance - Lady Gaga  (2.66 seconds)
5.  SOS - ABBA  (2.73 seconds)
6.  Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison  (2.73 seconds)
7.  Beat It - Michael Jackson  (2.80 seconds)
8.  I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston  (2.83 seconds)
9. Don’t You Want Me - The Human League  (2.83 seconds)
10.  I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing - Aerosmith  (2.84 seconds)

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SYNONYMS

air, anthem, aria, ballad, bar room favourite, bardic verse, beach song, beer hall tune, brief melody, campfire song, canticle, canzonet, carol, catch, catchy number (tune), chanson, chant, children's rhyme, chorale, chorus, country song, cradle song, croon, dance tune, DITTY, drinking song, ear candy, folk song, foot-tapper, golden oldie, harmony, hit, hymn, jam, jingle, jolly tune, kid's song, lilt, little song (tune), lyric, marching/maritime/minstrel song, melody, merry tune, song, number, nursery rhyme, pastoral, plainchant, plainsong, pop tune, pub favourite, refrain, rhyme, round, sailing/sailor's song, sea shanty, serenade, shanty, short tune, simple song (tune), singalong, single, soft song, song, sonnet, street ballad, sweet melody, tavern tune, toe-tapper, tune, verse, vocal, warble, whistling tune

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“Do you also have a DITTY that you can’t get out of your mind?”

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