Playing with babes in the wood

As with so many other common expressions, there are not too many arguments about the meaning of the expression babes in the wood; but when it comes to its origin, there is some debate. Over the years, it has become the theme of some interesting, and not always innocent, creativity and humour.

The meaning of the expression is generally taken as describing someone as being in over his/her head or naïve, incompetent or ill prepared for a particular challenge.

Its origin is almost certainly to be found in folklore about young children left in the woods to fend for themselves or to perish. The most traditional story is about two children abandoned in a wood by an uncle who was supposed to look after them when their mother died.

Some sources claim that it records the events around Wayland Wood in Norfolk, England. It is said that the uncle lived at the nearby Griston Hall. The ghosts of the murdered children are said to haunt Wayland Wood. The village signs at both Griston and nearby Watton depict the story.

It is claimed that the story was first published as a ballad by Thomas Millington in Norwich in 1595, and the tale has been reworked in many forms. It frequently appears attributed as a Mother Goose rhyme.

Wood in the babes

Over the years, many songs, plays and movies – including a 1932 Disney classic and a rather mundane vintage nudie 30 years later – were made under related titles.

During our research, we came across a rather clever variant use of the expression. When well-known golfer Tiger Woods got himself involved in a mess over a string of extramarital affairs, one newspaper reported on it under the headline, Wood in the babes.