alairyn.

Etymology: < alairy, an expression with many variants and uncertain sense and origin, forming part of the refrain of the rhyme traditionally sung or chanted (in various versions) while playing this game. It has been argued that this expression is related to aliry adv., with allusion to the movement of leg over the ball that usually accompanies the utterance of this word in many versions of the ball game, although this explanation is not straightforward in terms of chronology or semantics and confirmatory evidence is lacking.Very many variations of the rhyme used in this game exist, and preserve a range of additional spellings, such as alarie , a leerie , a larry , a'leary , a-leary , a-larry , a-lerry . For further discussion of the children's game and song tradition, and the geographical distribution of the recorded spellings, see I. Opie & P. Opie Children's Games with Things (1997) pp. 136–8. With the β. forms (especially from Scotland) perhaps compare various formations in -leery (as e.g. whigmaleery n.) and the simplex leerie (a word of uncertain meaning repeated in various versions of a children's rhyme about a lamplighter from the early 19th cent.), and older Scots lierie & larie , recorded in the 16th cent. as the refrain of a song (see Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at cited word and perhaps compare lurry n.¹). The form O'Leary apparently shows remodelling by association with the surname O'Leary.