Why do we say ‘white rabbit’ on the first day of the month? Meaning behind eccentric phrase, explained

Today is 1 July, and in ordinary, non-Covid times you might have been pinched and punched by a sibling or a friend. Maybe even a random bloke on the bus.

You may have also heard the expression “white rabbits” as a precursor, one of various traditions supposed to be uttered before midday and are said to bring good luck.

But where do all the “white rabbits” come from?

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Some think the term warns of witches (Photo: Unsplash) ‘Pinch, punch’

There are numerous theories. Some believe the whole thing started with President George Washington, who led the US from 1789 to 1797.

Apparently, on the first day of each month, Washington would meet native tribal leaders and gift fruit punch with an added pinch of salt. It became known, so the story goes, as “pinch punch on the first of the month”.

Others believe the traditional started long before. In medieval Britain, when people believed in witches and other such sorcery, salt was said to make witches weak, and the saying was supposed to weaken evil beings. The punch was to banish such characters forevermore – it was protective and shrouded in superstition.

The white rabbits are arguably a more confusing element. In a 1909 British periodical called Notes and Queries, a reference to the phrase can be found. The book covers folklore, literature, and history, and charts some of Britain’s many obscurities.

“My two daughters are in the habit of saying ‘Rabbits!’ on the first day of each month,” the entry reads. “The word must be spoken aloud, and be the first word said in the month.

“It brings luck for that month. Other children, I find, use the same formula.”

First of the month (Photo: Unsplash) ‘And a kick and a flick…’

The passage isn’t exactly explanatory and while we know the term has been around a long while, its origins remain vague.

The the 1922 novel Solomon in all his Glory, by Robert Lynd, an extract reads: “‘Why’, the man in the brown hat laughed at him, ‘I thought everybody knew Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit’.

“If you say ‘Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit’ – three times, just like that – first thing in the morning on the first of the month, even before you say your prayers, you’ll get a present before the end of the month.”

It is reasonable enough to put “white rabbits” down to British eccentricity. It’s a simple good luck charm, essentially. And it’s continued through the ages.

During WW2, it was a common belief among RAF bomber crews to say “white rabbits” upon waking up.

Those may claim the first to offer a “pinch, punch” should be exempt from retaliation, others believe the correct response is to respond with a “flick and a quick for being so quick”.

Apparently, the second half of the exchange originated in the West Country.