quote:

---

Originally posted by haberdasher:
In tablular form we have
iamb = da-DA
trochee = DA-da
dactyl = DA-dah-da
anapest = da-da-DA

---

As noted above, not only do I NOT write all my DDs in two minutes or less, I also freely admit to spending hours on little projects of this sort that end up amounting to absolutely nothing.

Haberdasher's post inspired me to try to rewrite an Edgar Allan Poe classic in the form of a DD (and then, later, when that proved unworkable, as any sort of verse) in which the protagonist was driven mad not by the loss of a loved one but by her inability to write double dactyls. Her name, of course, was going to be "Anapest Lee." A major stumbling block here was the fact that the word "anapest" is, itself, a dactyl.


After maybe 20 hours devoted to this damn idea over the past few weeks, the piece is not even halfway complete and I'm not particularly happy with what I've managed to come up with to date so I'm throwing in the towel.

Thanks a lot, Hab. Those are 20 hours of my life I'll never get back!

Having seen the magnificent efforts of those who have attacked the DD form (so much more challenging, I think, than the Limerick) I decided to have a go.

So here, with the assistance of Kalleh and Shufitz gratefully acknowledged and appreciated,is my first DD!

Boozedly, Cruisedly
Kalleh and Shufitz are
Coming to England to
Try out our beer.
You who are stuck at home,
Non-alcoholically:
We'll raise a pint to you,
"Wish you were here!"

Richard English

What an excellent first attempt it was. Shu and I just played with the meter a bit. Great first one, Richard! We are hoping for many more in the future.

And, Shu and I are very excited for our upcoming England trip.

As for you, CJ, well, I have spent many wasted hours too, either on DDs or limericks. It is frustrating, isn't it? I finally gave up recently on a limerick (or DD) for aput and Robert. I just couldn't get it to work!

Gobledy, Gobledy
"Knowledgeability?"
Really a word for us?
Kalleh says "no!"

Wordcrafters know that I,
Logomachizingly,
Disagree often with
Webster's outflow.

[Okay, okay, "outflow" isn't quite right. However, "logomachizingly" more than makes up for it!]

A Little Editing Here...

Kalleh, I would say that your misplaced stress on "outflow" is the most minor of crimes, DD-wise. A more serious offense is the lack of a proper name in the second line. I realize double dactyls have scads of rules but this one is a biggie. It's a flaw, yes, but I'll just chalk it up to your reluctance to star yourself in your own DD. May I suggest:

Higledy Pigledy
Kalleh of Wordcrafter
Seeker of justice will
Often ask why:

"Knowledgability"?
"Epicaricacy"?
One is a word but the
Other won't fly??

Topical, sort of, plus it has a pair of 6-syllable words, a trait you recently expressed a fondness for.


Seeing as how the above ditty was another one taking all of two minutes or less and, I'm sorry, but also seeing as how this has been simmering for months now, I have an announcement to make:

(royal fanfare) Effective immediately I am declaring myself Emperor of Double Dactyls, a logical and reasonable progression from my recent tenure as King of Limericks. (applause, applause, applause, as scantily clad Britney Spears-like waifs strew rose petals in my path)

Anyone wishing to contest my crown in this regard may do so in the appropriate manner - by devising superior DDs - with said superiority to be judged by the person most qualified to do so, namely the Emperor of Double Dactyls.

As Emperor, I will make Myself available to critique the work of any other Wordcrafter BUT, I hasten to point out, only if he or she requests this service. I distinctly recall incidents on the Limericks thread where the overly-sensitive occasionally displayed a thin-skinned nature which detracted from the overall harmony of the board and so, for the good of the Kingdom, I will endeavor to avoid offending my good subjects in the future.

The Emperor Has Spoken (TEHS)

I'm gone for five minutes and CJ starts proclaiming himself Emperor again.
Maybe we should all chip in and buy him a crown or something.

Every silver lining has a cloud.
Read all about my travels around the world here.
Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog.

CJ,
You are completely right about "outflow." I wasn't thinking at all. Meter doesn't come naturally to me, and sometimes in my zeal to get something done, I mess up. I hate it when I mess up the meter! The reason I had said it didn't work was because of the meaning of "outflow," not the stress on the wrong syllable. Just know, if there is a misplaced stress in my DDs, it is because I missed it, not because I had decided to live with it.

However, I am not as picky about the 2nd lines as you, or others here, are. To me, being so stringent on that decreases the number of creative DDs. Also, "Kalleh of Wordcrafter," to me, seems just as contrived as "knowledgeability." However, as I said, that contrivance doesn't bother me. I am sure it does bother others, though.

Now, I tried hard to include "epicaricacy," but that doesn't work because the stress is on the car. I tried "Like epicaricacy" but that's 7 syllables, and if you divide it to "Like epicarica," the "cy", which would start the next line, isn't emphasized. So, then I went to "the 'e' word," but I couldn't get that to work either.

How, on earth, could you take out "logomachizingly," meaning battling with words? I thought that was brilliant, given the context! It just goes to show that everyone has his/her different perception with DDs.

BTW, What did you think of Richard's up there? I know he wanted feedback; just remember, it was his first!

[This message was edited by Kalleh on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 13:59.]

quote:

---

Originally posted by C J Strolin:
Seeing as how the above ditty was another one taking all of two minutes or less ...
It shows

I am declaring myself Emperor of Double Dactyls ...

---

Niggledy-sniggledy
Chistopher Rex (the First)
Names himself "king" over
All he can see.

We, recognizing his
Egocentricity,
Over-indulgently
Let the boy be.

(PS to Kalleh: You rock, woman!)

quote:

---

Originally posted by C J Strolin: Anyone wishing to contest my crown in this regard may do so in the appropriate manner - by devising superior DDs - with said superiority to be judged by the Emperor of Double Dactyls.

---

So you'll make the contest rules, join in the contest, and judge the contest?

Unholy trinty:
One single person who
Serves as the rule-maker,
Claimant and judge?

Simultaneity
Clearly is lacking in
Impartiality.
That rule is fudge!

Shufitz,
That DD was deadly! and much fun..

Since CJ is such a good guy, I hope he won't mind this:

There once was an ego named Chris,
Who typed with a hit and a miss.
He wrote Double Dactyls
On his hands and his knees,
His rear in the air for a kiss..

Please, please Emperor...don't throw me in Briar Patch.

Rexily Hexily
Royal King Christopher
Judges our dactyls, though
Not all agree.
Shufitz and Hic are our
Wordcrafter skeptics. With
Irrationality,
Don't make it three!

Shu and Hic, your talent overwhelms me! And, KHC, nice limerick.

Hear me! Hear me! The Court is now in session! All loyal subjects may now approach the throne to be heard and judged with regal impartiality, so help me me.

Taking my faithful supplicants chronologically, let me begin by congratulating R.E. on a first-rate first effort. Very well done! Perfect meter, fine statement, just the right number of syllables throughout and stresses all where they should be. We also note that the first word of each line is capitalized contrary to the way in which our British beer loving friend has expressed a preference in the past. Richard, you have earned the first "A+" of the new era! (fanfare, huzzahs, etc etc)

The rules of DDs are brutally exacting (which is one reason writing a good one is so rewarding) and while in the past I myself have railed against rulesrulesrulesrules in general, now that I have once again ascended the throne I will be obligated to crack the whip in the future if and when the need arises. In your DD, R.E., even the most pedantic critic could find only the most minor fault in your second line which, in a DD, should be a proper name and nothing else. Obviously "Kalleh and Shufitz," while fine metrically as far as it goes, doesn't go far enough syllablically. I might suggest the second line "Shufitz and Kalleh Jones..." If Kalleh can give Thomas Jefferson a middle initial for the sake of a DD, surely you could grant them a one-syllable surname for the same reason.


Next up, Kalleh, the meek and mild. (Hey, Kiddo. Nice shoes!) I'm tempted to claim that, as Emperor, it is my right to pronounce your word as "Ep-i-ca-RICK-a-see" for the sake of the DD. The mispronunciation was unintentional and, yes, "logomachizingly" was a corker. Maybe I'll use it next time if you like.

As the first Wordcrafter to show support for my new realm (unlike some other Bozos we'll get to shortly) I am moved to grant you a special position in my cabinet. You are here forthwith and forever granted the title of "Official Meter Maid" with all the benefits and rewards (to be decided upon at a later date) that this title conveys. As Meter Maid, you are granted the right to criticize with impunity the meter and stress of any verse posted in this thread, particularly (not to mention especially) if the poster is related to you by means of marriage. [This calls for a DD:]

Higledy Pigledy
Kalleh the Meter Maid
(Yes it's contrived yet a
Good second line)

Champions "the E-word" so
Multi-syllabically.
Claims that it sparkles like
Good German wine!

(By way of royal sidenote, we're not sure the term "meter maid" is as well known in Europe as it is here in North America. This is a person, often but not necessarily female, whose job it is to walk around town ticketing people who have not deposited enough coins into parking meters before leaving their cars to go do God knows what.)


The impudent Hic et Ubique may now approach the throne. Closer. No, closer. (Damn, I'm gonna hafta find me a scepter!) Well, even considering that the missing "R" in "Christopher" was almost certainly a typo, I have decided to take off points for lack of proof-reading but, at the same time, I must certainly assess your DD as the winner that it is. Call it a "First-week-on-the-throne Special" but despite the rather snide tone throughout, it's an "A."


Shufitz, knowing you as I'd like to think I do, rather than risk ruffling your feathers (as I believe I did on the Limericks thread) I will instead delegate the task of critiquing your DD to my newly-appointed Meter Maid. (Sic 'em, K.! Be ruthless!)


Last but not least, KHC. Can I assume that the third line to your limerick, somewhere along the line, was "He wrote Double D's"?? It scans just a tad better that way, no?

And, with the text of your limerick in mind, allow us to restate our willingness to suffer the proverbial slings and arrows of outrageous literary criticism at the hands of lower-ranking yet, one must assume, well-meaning posters. As long as the rabble don't actually take up pitchforks and torches and congregate in large numbers outside the castle walls, we promise to be a benevolent monarch.

The Emperor Has Spoken (TEHS)

We have had them for many years. The term was known even before the Beatles recorded a song about "Rita the Meter Maid"

Richard English

I don't think Shu got ruffled feathers about your critique, but that's a long time ago and I don't remember. We all consider it good fun, though I probably shouldn't speak for everyone; that's how I get into trouble. For me, I would much rather have someone comment on my DDs than to just post them and see them sink into oblivion.

Meter maid, huh? Sounds good, though, remember, I have problems with that myself! Take "outflow" as an example. I had said the damned thing so many times, trying to get the meter to work, that I was sure it was outflow.

Higgledy Piggledy
Gregory Maddux, the
Cubs newest pitcher is
Throwing with speed.
Enthusiastically,
Everyone's sure that he'll
Bring to Chicago the
Wins that we need!

Ah, this won't be understood by many, and the name doesn't quite work. However, I had fun with it!

Each day U.S. schoolchildren routinely recite a Pledge of Allegiance. Francis J. Bellamy (1855-1931) wrote that Pledge in 1892, and our Congress added the words "under God" in 1954.

Yesterday the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments over whether the daily school recital, with those words, violates the constitutional separation of church and state.

Higgledy piggledy
Francis J. Bellamy
Authored a pledge to some
People's dismay.

"Unconstitutional
Ecclesiastical
Insensitivity.
"Quash it," they pray.

A bit more background:

The pledge, as it was originally written in 1892, simply read: "I pledge allegiance to my flag and the republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all." He had considered adding "and equality" near the end there but dropped it fearing, in those days when slavery was still a very active memory, that to do so would make the piece too controversial.

The "my flag" was changed to "the flag of the United States of America" over Bellamy's strenuous objections following pressure by the American Legion and the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1924. The "under God" was added in 1954 in the belief (rather silly, I've always thought) that this would provide a guard against Communists somehow. Bellamy had no opinion regarding this change having been dead at this point for some 20 years.


Higgledy Piggledy
Francis J. Bellamy
Authored a pledge which
Has undergone change.

Writing, he tried to be
Uncontroversial.
Now it's a court case, well,
Isn't that strange?


Thanks to Hic for supplying another excellent DD second line.

CJ: Thanks to Hic for supplying another excellent DD second line.

Thanks, but in all honesty that was the last part. When I read the on-line news article and the word "unconstitutional" popped into my head, in perfect DD rhythm, I knew knew there had to be a DD in it. But after that, it took a fair bit of googling to find somebody associated with the matter whose name fits the DD meter.

So your praise brings to mind this old chestnut:

A skilled marksman, travelling through a small village, noticed a barn on which were painted hundreds of targets. Remarkably, in each target there was a perfect bull's-eye. He noticed a little boy asked him who made all of these perfect shots.

The boy answered, "I did!" The marksman scoffed, "How is that possible that anyone could make that many perfect bull's-eyes?"

"It's simple," said the boy and, picking up a gun, pointed it in the general direction of the barn, closed his eyes and fired! Then he went up to the wall and painted the target around the bullet hole...another 'perfect' shot!

[This message was edited by Hic et ubique on Thu Mar %85, 2004 at 15:22.]

Higgledy Piggledy
Antonin Scalia,
One of the Justices,
Absents himself from Mike
Newdow's appeal

Pledging allegiance to
Infradivinity
Seems so divisive!
How do you feel?

Great guys! It must be that time of year....spring brings on the DDs! Two just popped into my head today, too!

Blockbuster, Blockbuster
William of Microsoft
Lost at EU, and he'll
Pay a big fine.
Monopolistically,
Gates bundled browsers and
Messed up computers. Let's
Get him in line!

Bippity, Boppity
Anaheim's Disneyland,
Mickey Mouse paradise,
Thrilling to all.
What an adventure in
Universality.
Small is the world as we
All have a ball!

Returning to the Pledge of Allegiance.

As Jerry notes, the challenge is brought by one Michael Newdow. "I am an atheist. I don't believe in God," Michael Newdow told the justices.

Deism theism?
Michael the Atheist
Scoffs at the notion that
God made mankind.

"Man has made God," he says,
"Anthropomorphically."
God smiles, indulging these
Comments unkind.

While Kalleh has occasionally chastised me for critiquing the work of others, I choose to attribute this to hyper-sensitivity on her part rather than believe than anyone will take any serious offense as long as it is clear that my criticism is intended to be constructive. Jerry in particular has given me the go-ahead in a PT to red-pen his offerings if the mood strikes me.

Jerry, as your Emperor, please permit me to respectfully point out that you've got an entire extra line in the first half of your piece and your seventh line is a syllable short. May I suggest:

Higgledy Piggledy
Antonin Scalia,
One of the Judges on
Newdow's appeal

Pledging allegiance to
Infradivinity
Seems so refractory! (or maybe "sectarian") (or "tumultuous" even?)
How do __you__ feel?

Two other problems: Your DD calls for a mispronunciation of ANtonin scaLIa's name (one should take care not to piss off Supreme Court judges - you never know when you'll be brought up before them!) and I'm not sure "infradivinity" fits what you're saying. Great DD word, though.


Kalleh, your first DD is a corker but your second suffers from a misspelled first line. That should be "Bibbity Bobbity" and I'll leave it for the rest of the gang to figure out why. Also, I like an open line between the two halves of a DD but this preference is entirely cosmetic. You have come a long, long way from the days when you claimed to be hopelessy inept at this poetic form.

Hic, yours was first rate as always. (grumble, grumble...)

While Kalleh has occasionally chastised me for critiquing the work of others, I choose to attribute this to hyper-sensitivity on her part I don't recall chastising you, but if I did, I am sure it was hypersensitivity. You know me, I want everyone to be happy here on wordcraft (to a fault, I think!)

From my perspective, I love it when you critique and make better my DDs or limericks. That's the way I learn. For example, you are now convincing me that the name in the second line is more important than I have considered it in the past.

Yes, I should have looked "bibbity bobbity" up!

Quote "...While Kalleh has occasionally chastised me for critiquing the work of others..."

I won't object to your commenting on the work of others; I will, though, object to your creating a verb from a noun when a perfectly acceptable verb already exists!

"Critiquing"? Criticising (or criticizing) is the verb you seek. I can see no difference in meaning between the correct verb and the "verbed noun".

R.E.: "Critiquing"? Criticising (or criticizing) is the verb you seek. I can see no difference in meaning between the correct verb and the "verbed noun".

I questioned your logic but, in checking, found that his is a point on which usage is mixed and in flux.

Logically, it seems to me that if you think the verb 'to critique' is objectionable (as a duplicate of 'to criticize',) then you'd also have to find the noun 'a critique' objectionable (as a duplicate of 'a criticism'.) But surely no one objects to 'critique' used as a noun.

To me the nouns 'critique' and 'criticism' differ in that the former is limited to creative works, particularly literary or other artistic one (e.g., a child is who strikes his smaller sibling is subject to getting a criticism, but not to a critique), and the verbed forms differ similarly.

That said, its seems that the "experts" are split between Richard's view and mine. Here is the AHD note:

quote:

---

Critique has been used as a verb meaning "to review or discuss critically" since the 18th century, but lately this usage has gained much wider currency, in part because the verb criticize, once neutral between praise and censure, is now mainly used in a negative sense. But this use of critique is still regarded by many as pretentious jargon, although resistance appears to be weakening. In our 1997 ballot, 41 percent of the Usage Panel rejected the sentence As mock inquisitors grill him, top aides take notes and critique the answers with the President afterward. Ten years earlier, 69 percent disapproved of this same sentence. Resistance is still high when a person is critiqued: 60 percent of the Usage Panel rejects its use in the sentence Students are taught how to do a business plan and then are critiqued on it.

---

I have to agree with the AHD. To me, "critique" is providing an objective review of something, while to "criticize" is more negative.

However, I am no linguistics expert. That's just my opinion.

And I also agree (adding an English voice) that the meaning of criticise has changed. The use of it to mean "assess impartially" has now all but disappeared from common speech. It is almost solely used to mean "give a negative opinion". I know of no-one (except perhaps Richard ) who would use it in its original sense.
Words change over time and this one has.

"Critique" as a verb has been around for a long time and seems to me to be a perfectly acceptable substitute for the obsolete meaning of criticise.

To illustrate the difference:


A critique -
"R.E., looking quite dapper in his avatar, is well versed in the proper use of the English language and seems to take great delight in the appropriate usage of apostrophes."

A criticism -
He does, however, refuse to acknowledge the possibility of the superiority of German beers over their slightly lesser-qualitied British counterparts and, additionally, steadfastly refuses to recognize me as a higher authority regarding the English language than the venerable yet wildly outdated and inaccurate OED.

I see. So your suggestion is that a critique is accurate and a criticism inaccurate.

I had never heard of that particular distinction, I confess.

lesser-qualitied
Hmmm, new coinage?

I used one the other day that I am sure isn't in OED, but that I rather liked: "That doubled in spades my decision to hire him."

A little cross-threading...

Higgledy Piggledy
Jordan of Basketball,
Media darling, is
Globally known.

Incomprehensibly,
Richard's not heard of him.
Could it be he is as
Deaf as a stone?

Footballers, cricketers
Sports personalities
Everywhere overpaid
Everywhere known

Ultra-determinedly
I've never heard of them
For reasons quite valid
My reasons alone

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kalleh:I used one the other day that I am sure isn't in OED, but that I rather liked: "That doubled in spades my decision to hire him."

---

Nice use of double-dactyl form there...

and does this make you a sports personality yourself? (I guess that depends on how seriously you take your Gin Rummy.)

As Double Dactyl Emperor, I have been sadly neglecting this thread. My apolgies. In the future, I promise one DD weekly although, as difficult as they can be, I can't promise that this won't equate to one DD weakly.


End of an Era

Higgledy Piggledy
Jennifer Aniston
"Friend" for ten years is now
Calling it quits.

Planning to grow in ways
Genealogical.
Hope that she never says
"Kids are the Pitts!"


OK, slightly flawed in that the particulars of the life of Jennifer Aniston (a great DD name - how did we miss it?) are probably not all that well known to our European friends as they are to the average Yank. She played "Rachel" in the recently ended ten-year run of the show "Friends" and is married to Brad Pitt with whom she plans on raising a family. The two of them are now as close to American royalty as we've seen since the days of the Kennedys in Camelot.

OK, slightly flawed in that the particulars of the life of Jennifer Aniston (a great DD name - how did we miss it?)

Ahem!

I am glad, CJ, that you are going to do more DDs because you are talented....and it gives me a reason to write more. Writing them by myself gets a little lonely!

We've mentioned the Style Invitational contests in the Washington Post before.

A recent contest asked for anagrams for any text about a person or event recently in the news.

One reader, Danny Bravman, submitted an entry that was not only an anagram, but also a double dactyl:

quote:

---

Jaetagut leindagut,
D. Bravman, Potomac,
Scribbles a lyric
With lexical styles.
= Double-dactylical
Anagrammatical
Poetry's vexing
With just Scrabble tiles.

---

Very impressive, and worthy in my opinion of better than a mere "Honorable Mention".

Well, yes and no.

For the DD to work, you have to mispronounce "Potomac." And what is that first line? If it was a headline somewhere, I missed it.

One should always be warry of tackling a literary project that shows every promise of exceeding one's ability to follow through with it successfully.


Great contest, though. But what's up with this Chris Doyle guy?? He had a full eleven entries listed, including the winner and one of the runners-up, as compared to fifteen submitted by everybody else combined! Now here is a guy with way too much time on his hands. I'd invite him to come on board the OEDILF project if it weren't for the fear that he'd completely take it over!

And, To Commemorate a Recent Anniversary:

Higgledy, Piggledy,
Sir Roger Bannister,
First man to conquer the
Four-minute mile.

I would do likewise but
Aerodynamically,
Four laps of sprinting is
Just not my style.

We noted in this thread that news of a major triumph of the British Commonwealth reached England on Queen Elizabeth's Coronation Day in 1953.

Higgledy, Piggledy,
Sir Edmund Hilary
Conquered Mt. Ev'rest, the
Ultimate climb.

Princess Elizabeth
Coincidentally
Got coronated at
Just the same time.

Everest never rest
High anniversary
Sir Edmund's adventure
Hic elects to disclose

Regalsorority
Saw Himalayan there
Lifted Her Majesty
And Margaret Rose

First off, Sorry, Kalleh, for overlooking your Jennifer Anniston piece. My bad.


Higgledy, Piggledy,
Dale Sager, circus clown,
Driving cross town to some
Kid's birthday bash.

Seems like his luck is quite
On-again-off-again.
Broke both his legs in a
Terrible crash.


Every regular here probably has a friend to whom they have recommended this site but who, for whatever reason, has never made an appearance. Dale falls into this category.

Having spent a fair amount of his life as a professional clown with a traveling circus (He met his wife while on the road this way) Dale now works both as a clown and a storyteller doing shows in schools, senior citizen villages, and private homes. He was enroute to a birthday party gig this past Saturday when he either rear-ended an SUV or had a head-on with a semi (reports conflict for some reason and he himself has no memory of the event) on an interstate highway. Airbags and seat belt use saved his life but he did break both his legs and will be in the hospital for another six weeks or so.

If he's told that I wrote about his situation in this post, maybe he'll finally get his butt up here.


Oh, and on an every-cloud-has-a-silver-lining note: Dale had been traveling that day with a pair of white doves that he uses as part of some magic tricks he performs for kids. Both birds made it through the crash unscathed.

Please ignore this, I'm just testing something.

Higgledy Piggledy
OED limericks,
96 down and a
Googol to go,

Turning me into an
Abecedarian
Quite a development
IMHO.

OK, I'm a couple of days tardy. I've been a busy monarch lately.

Note: Anyone needing a definition of "abecedarian" may look it up in the OEDILF. (Yay, the book is actually starting to be usable!) Of course, if you need help with any word after "ad," you'll just have to be a bit patient, thank you very much.

Reviving a thread...

I am reviving a double dactyl thread for some of our newbies to read. We have had lots of fun with these, and up above somewhere Bob wrote a limerick in German for Jheem, who reciprocated. They were great!

Here's to the newbies:

Dactyly Dactyly
Newbies for Wordcrafter
Really are keeping us
All on our toes.

Knowing linguistics and
Much about language, but
Dactylomania...
Can you write those?

Hey, try some double dactyls!

Higgledy Piggledy
Rod R. Blagojevich,
Illinois Governor,
Makes druggists mad!

Authoritatively,
Gov tells the pharmacists:
"Give women birth control
Pills...or you're bad!"

Blagojevich is pronounced: Blah-GOY-eh-vich

Governor Blagojevich has been a breath of fresh air to women. While pharmacists were turning away women with valid prescriptions for birth control for "religious reasons," why do I think they weren't turning men away who wanted Viagra or condoms.

Illinois, which of course is mostly made up of Chicago , has a new slogan. How could I not use it in a double dactyl!

Higgledy Piggledy
"Simply Magnificent":
That's the new ad for an
Illinois stop.

See our Lake Michigan,
All our museums, then,
Pecuniarily,
Shop 'til you drop!

Good one, Kalleh!

Why not send it to the Chicago Tourist Authority or whatever it's called? You might earn some money!

Actually, I had thought about that, Arnie. However, there are 2 problems. First, I couldn't find that "pecuniarily" is really a word. Is it? If not, any ideas for another 6-syllable double dactyl word that fits? Secondly, most people haven't heard about double dactyls.

Yet, I will certainly consider it!

quote:

Originally posted by Kalleh: Pecuniarily, / Shop 'til you drop!

Seems good to me, but I'm sure there are other hexasyllables you could use, if you like. However, please don't substitute 'kleptomaniacally'!

P.S. As your husband I'd add one thought: please don't shop 'til you drop!

Jerry, thanks for the link. I had just looked up "pecuniary," and since it didn't mention the adverb, I assumed it didn't exist. What do they say about people who make assumptions?

Thanks, Arnie, for the suggestion...and I have sent it to the Tribune. I will share all my fortunes with you and Jerry!