What is a limerick, is it a chinese pronunciation of a fruit dip?
A marvelous verse is a limerick
It uses fine words with fine rhythmic
Syllables in rhyme
Like hymn and like lime
Makes a laugh with a lick and a trick
Traditionally the limerick has been defined in verse and deals with subjects quite bawdy such as this famous summary:
The limerick packs laughs anatomical
Into space that is quite economical.
But the good ones I've seen
So seldom are clean
And the clean ones so seldom are comical.
But the major reason for writing a limerick is self-aggrandisement among similarly quick witted accomplices, errant children and editors.
There was an anonymous bore
Who sat on his arse just to roar
What a wonderful verse
All the others are worse,
Give10 out of 10 for the score
It is a wonderful form for presenting subjects that may appear risqué but are good for sustainable laughter from the “eleganza”. Two of the best are:
There was a young man from Belgrave
Who kept a dead whore in a cave
He said I admit
I’m a bit of a shit
But think of the money I save
And:
There was a young man from Kent
Whose tool was horribly bent
To save himself trouble
He put it in double
And instead of coming he went
Plus, for the neologist:
The new cinematic emporium
Is not just a super sensorium
But a highly effectual
Heterosexual
Mutual masturbatorium
And just to round it off, the limerick (and the word) were not invented by Edward Lear, but he did compose more good ones than anyone else. More later.
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