Phrase Used When I Was A Child: "nim Shy Room De Koff"

[Brizpete]

Unfortunately, my mother is no longer alive so I cannot ask her the origin of a little phrase she used when I was younger. I'm hoping someone here may be able to help...

The phrase was "nim shy room de koff". (spelling incorrect!)

As a young child myself and younger brother had to go to bed 'early'. However, my mother used the phrase as a code to me to say that it was o.k. to get back up once my younger brother had gone to sleep.

To my young mind this phrase had a certain mysticism, does anyone here know whether this was a more widely used phrase, or just a quirky individual phrase.
Thanks.

[VHG]

Is the phrase dutch?

[Brizpete]

"is the phrase Dutch?"

I don't think so. When she was a child he father was in the army in India and Palestine, not sure if she heard it from him when she was young.

To me looking back it had an 'Arabian nights' feel to it.

[cupid04]

when I was a toddler I used to sing:- I'm shy hairy melon I'm shy instead of 'I'm shy Mary Ellen, I'm shy'!

[Jonathan-Joe]

The name of the Russian composer "Rimsky-Korsakov" is often considered amusing and this phrase could be a mangled version of it, with no meaning except what your mother gave it.
Distorting words and language for humorous effect was the speciality of comedian Stanley Unwin, often imitated in his heyday.

[IggyB]

Nimshi was a character in the bible; parent of Jehu apparently. Nimshi and nim shy would sound the same... Possibly?

as Christianity, Judaism, Islam are all based on the same source maybe the character features in all of these religions holy texts... Could the phrase be in another language?

[Quizmonster]

'Imshi' is Arabic for 'off you go' but was also used as British military slang, so that might explain the first three words...ie "Off you go (to your) room." Your brother's name wasn't Dick, was it? If it was, then the rest might suggest, "(until) Dick (drops) off."

[Brizpete]

Yes, I had thought about the "nim shy" = "imshi" translation but in our west country accents she probably would have said "him shee" rather than "him shy"

Similarly, "de koff" could be "dee kov" - or anything in between ;) :(

[Quizmonster]

Lots of foreign words 'adopted' by our miliitary services got corrupted, so I wouldn't be in the least surprised at a version such as himshee. Indeed, the OED suggests that the word often finished up sounding like 'Hampshire'! Accordingly, I'm fairly convinced that 'imshi' or some variant thereof is the explanation for the first part of your mother's exhortation.