At last, after all this time, this thread has sorted me out! Being an innocent American female, Knopfler fan, and reader of Dickens, I knew there wasn't a guy named "Dirty Dick" in "The Old Curiosity Shop." I knew there was a Dirty Dick's pub in Edinburgh, but just couldn't put the two together. NOW I know! Love the idea of 1950s tacky school kid's rhyme! Thanks to all the worthy souls who have solved this mystery. Oh, and it's a great, comical story in its varied versions. Worthy of Chaucer.