It is correct to write mother of pearl (without the hyphens) as well as mother-of-pearl (with the hyphens). Either way you want to write it is correct but you may be surprised to learn that mother of pearl is not a pearl at all. Mother of pearl does have some similarities to pearls.
The âring around the rosieâ was the circle of townspeople tending the pyre of bodies being burned in an attempt to stop the spread of the disease, hence, âashes, ashesâ, and âwe all fall downâ attests to the futility of this practice. As I heard the storyâ¦.
The ring around the rosies is the red ringed rash that was the sure sign of having the plague. If you developed a rash it wasn't serious, unless a red ring appeared around the spot. A pocket full of posies is the flowers brought to a funeral. Or the fact that the smell of decaying bodies was so bad that people began carrying flowers in their pockets to try to ward off the smell. It's ashes ashes (not atishoo) which is because they tried to burn the bodies, rather than bury them.