Why we say 'pinch and a punch for the first day of the month'

Today, and on many other firsts of the months, schoolyards across Australia and the world rang out with the same chant: "Pinch and a punch for the first day of the month!".

It's been a playful tradition going on for centuries and generations, and has even turned into a literal pinch and a punch – but where does it really come from?

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The phrase is believed to date back to old England times and is now prevalent across Commonwealth nations and previous colonies of Britain, such as the United States of America.

Many sources report the phrase was used to ward off witches in medieval times, with the "pinch" part referring to pinching salt, which was believed to weaken the power of witches.

The "punch" part was thought to punch them away, banishing them once and for all for a month of good luck.

Some trace the phrase back to the first US president George Washington, who was said to provide Native American tribes with fruit punch with a pinch of salt on the first day of each month during his presidency from 1789 to 1797.

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Over time, many have crafted fitting responses to the practical joke.

A common one in the UK is the addition of the phrase "white rabbits", with those saying the phrase being immune to retaliation.

Though it seems like the phrase is a random addition, it actually has a deeper meaning.

The phrase's first recorded instance was in 1909 in the Notes and Queries book, a British periodical in which experts wrote about folklore .

One entry from the book read, "My two daughters are in the habit of saying 'Rabbits!' on the first day of each month.

"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."

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Royal Air Force crew fighting in World War II would also say "white rabbits" when they woke up in the morning, believing it would protect them from harm.

Eventually the more literal "no returns" was added to avoid back and forth and protect the pincher and puncher from receiving the same treatment they dealt out.

Over time, an even more vengeful form of retaliation was discovered with the response:, "A flick and a kick for being so quick", with the phrase thought to have originated in the West Country of the UK.

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