X me no X

I know I swore that I'd never write about Fiddler again but what can one do when one randomly encounters something that is just magical?!?

It all started innocuously enough, as it always does, with Shakespeare, "Thank me no thankings nor proud me no prouds."

That's from Romeo and Juliet. One of my favorite quotes.

However, I wouldn't be the mathematician I was unlike I got down to linguistic bare bones. Let's look at the problem.

English has a long history of verbalizing nouns and nominalizing verbs.

Think about the "X me no X". The first X is the verb and second the noun. It's a verbal game that's allierative (by definition) and it's just magic to me.

"Diamond me no diamonds; prize me no prizes" says Tennyson from Idylls of a King. Something I should've remembered since I'm an ol'-school Tennyson lover.

"Grace me no grace, nor uncle me no uncle" says Shakespeare in Richard II.

Not to be outdone because why not, the very cute Keroauc goes with "Tennessee me no Tennessees".

Plan me no plans, darling, groom me no groom. Find me no find, catch me no catch.

Isn't this just the most delightful linguistic magic?