The riddle
I Met a Man on London Bridge. He Tipped His Hat and Drew His Gloves. What Is His Name?
Say it fast
Run the middle of the second sentence together: "and drew". In ordinary speech the two D sounds merge into one, and "and drew" comes out sounding just like "Andrew". The riddle then asks for a name it has already spoken. Listeners hunt for something hidden when the answer was in the sentence from the start.
Which version is which
The best-known modern wording says the man "tipped his hat and drew his name", and some versions add a line about a guessing game. Another variant has him draw a cane. In every form the answer is Andrew, and some tellers accept Drew as a short form. The version in the question here, with gloves, matches wording written down in Ireland.
Schoolchildren wrote it down
Ireland's National Folklore Collection holds the Schools' Collection, put together by pupils in the late 1930s. Several entries record this riddle with the man taking off his hat and pulling off his gloves, and the answer written beside it is Andrew. A version with Westminster Bridge in place of London Bridge also turns up there.
Telling it aloud
Use an even pace and do not lean on the word "drew". Stress it and the listener hears a verb. Say it flatly and the name slips by, which is the whole trick of a riddle built on sound.