Many subsequent 19 th-century occurrences confirm the above-mentioned commands as well as their sequence. His plots and counterplots with the Shunk dynasty and with the Porter influence in all of which he held his own, will form in such an event, an important page in the secret history of Pennsylvania politics. A man who could exemplify in his own person the tricks and quick turns of the youth’s game of “Simon says up, Simon says down, wiggle waggle,” and go through the motions so successfully, is not to be laid out so easy. A propos of Simon, the chief of the Winnebago branch of the democracy-politicians say that he is shelved at last, but I scarcely believe it. The bone of contention is who shall be United States Senator? There is a Whig majority of nine on joint ballot, and Simon Cameron’s term, as Senator, expiring, his place must be filled by somebody. The second-earliest mention of the term is from The Pittsburgh Daily Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) of 6 th November 1848: Simon is a great talker sometimes he says “up,” sometimes he says “down,” and sometimes he says “wiggle waggle.” It is always cheapest to do as Simon says.

The earliest instance that I have found is the following paragraph from the column of miscellanea, All Sorts of Paragraphs, in the Boston Morning Post (Boston, Massachusetts) of 25 th April 1842 (the game was already well known at that time, since it is implicitly referred to): The name Simon was probably chosen for alliterative effect ( Simon says). Of American-English origin, Simon says denotes a children’s game in which players must obey the leader’s instructions only if they are prefaced with the words Simon says it also denotes the command itself.

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