..........& also, thinking on, there were various ways us kids had of choosing who'd be the first to be 'on'.

Several rhymes were used for 'dipping' ['dip' = to choose or pick] & some were in the form of an elimination sequence.

such as:

'Dip, dip, dip,
My blue ship,
Sails on the water,
Like a cup and saucer,
Dip, dip, dip,
You're not it!'


More?