Alright, this one should be an easy one, and hopefully won't lead to any arguments about pronunciation.

Chester is a beautiful city in the north of England, well worth a visit if you are in the area.

You have plenty of time to think about this one, since I will be away for the next week.

My late stepfather came from Chester. Mind you, he ended up in West Sussex.

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My late stepfather came from Chester. Mind you, he ended up in West Sussex.

Is that a breeding chart?

Mine's in. It probably won't get any votes (too many men here, that's my problem!), but I like it!

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Originally posted by Proofreader:

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My late stepfather came from Chester. Mind you, he ended up in West Sussex.

Is that a breeding chart?

He did all his breeding in Chester; by the time he met and married my mother they were both past their breeding ages.

May I ask for some clarification of the rules? I've submitted one limerick and am thinking of submitting another. Do the votes for a player's different entries get counted together, or separately?

It doesn't matter how many you submit since no one knows who entered what until it's over.

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Do the votes for a player's different entries get counted together, or separately?

Separately. So, if one stinks but the other is an A+...people can all vote for your A+ one, and not the other. However, since people can only vote for 1 limerick, when you submit more than 1 you really are competing with yourself.

Thanks, Kalleh - in that case I'll stick with a single entry.

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Originally posted by Proofreader:
It doesn't matter how many you submit since no one knows who entered what until it's over.

It does if you want to win. With a first-past-the-post voting system there's always a danger of losing because of a split vote.

Let's suppose that player A submits one limerick that gets 3 votes, and player B submits two limericks that get 2 votes each (B1 and B2). Player B would have had a better chance of winning if he/she had only submitted limerick B1, since it's possible that both the votes for B2 would have transferred to B1.

(Those of you reading this in the UK will have gathered that I'm supporting the Yes campaign on May 5th!)

There is no reason to assume the votes for one of your limericks would transfer to your other one if you hadn't put one of them in. Sometimes you'll be surprised by which of your limericks people actually vote for. I have certainly won a competition here with what I thought was the lesser of my two entries, so why deny us the extra limerick and the extra laugh (hopefully) - we got so few entries anyway, and as we say in Australia we're not playing for sheep stations.

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Originally posted by Greg S:
There is no reason to assume the votes for one of your limericks would transfer to your other one if you hadn't put one of them in.

There is indeed no reason for assuming that. However, it could happen, and so by submitting a single limerick you're increasing your chances of winning.

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Sometimes you'll be surprised by which of your limericks people actually vote for. I have certainly won a competition here with what I thought was the lesser of my two entries, so why deny us the extra limerick and the extra laugh (hopefully) - we got so few entries anyway, and as we say in Australia we're not playing for sheep stations.

Well I might do. The other one needs refining anyway, so I'll think about it.

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However, it could happen, and so by submitting a single limerick you're increasing your chances of winning.

Not necessarily so - just look at the last game. If Mike had only submitted his favourite of his 2 limericks in the last game, he probably wouldn't have won. His weaker limerick (in both his and my eyes) got 3 votes, whilst his favourite one got none.

Guy, I'd say submit more. The winner doesn't receive a Pulitzer Prize, nor does he even get it approved in the OEDILF; the winner merely posts the next city. Not a big deal. So...go for it! Post as many as you can!

Besides, limerick voters here are funny, as Greg said above. Sometimes I think the oddest ones are voted for...ones I'd never choose (not always, but sometimes). Therefore, you never know how a limerick will go. If you post your favorite, perhaps nobody will select it. But...if you post 2 or 3, maybe one you thought was weak will strike a couple of fancies. You really never know.

Interesting comments. I have to say that I've voted in many first-past-the-post elections, and in all that time I've never known a party to field two candidates on the grounds that it might increase their chances of winning!

I'm still a little sceptical but will consider submitting another.

I usually submit two (sometimes more) if that helps at all.

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Originally posted by Guy Barry:
Interesting comments. I have to say that I've voted in many first-past-the-post elections, and in all that time I've never known a party to field two candidates on the grounds that it might increase their chances of winning!

I'm still a little sceptical but will consider submitting another.

And how many first past the post elections have you voted in where you knew the names of the candidates but not which party each one stood for?

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Originally posted by Guy Barry:
Interesting comments. I have to say that I've voted in many first-past-the-post elections, and in all that time I've never known a party to field two candidates on the grounds that it might increase their chances of winning!

I'm still a little sceptical but will consider submitting another.

That could have something to do with the expense.

I'm back! I have seven entries so far, and I have to say that the quality is very high this time. It's going to be tough to pick a winner. I'll give it another couple of days for late entries before posting the poll.

When it comes to the merits or otherwise of posting multiple limericks, I would always say post as many as you want. Like others have said, there's no big prize for coming first. I think the fun here is in writing the limericks, and in seeing what others come up with. Of course it's always nice when others vote your limerick best, but personally I like a lot of my loser limericks much better than those that I have won with.

So, Guy, and any others sitting on extra limericks, send them in, so we can all enjoy the fruits of your minds' labours.

Limericks just don't come as easily to me as they do for the rest of you, or I'd definitely post more than one each time.

Well I can see the "fun" arguments for submitting more than one limerick. On the other hand, I still want to win.

So, not as an entry, here's my second choice limerick:

There was a young lady from Chester
Who squealed as her lover undressed her.
As he peeled off her bra
She shrieked out "There you are!" -
It was then that they came to arrest her.

I also had this one but the subject doesn't fit the place.

On Gunsmoke, Matt's sidekick was Chester
Doc claimed he's a chlld molester.
Some called Kitty a slut,
Morley's sister, too, but
Sis got saved and -- praise Jesus -- God's blessed her.

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Originally posted by Guy Barry:
Well I can see the "fun" arguments for submitting more than one limerick. On the other hand, I still want to win.

So, not as an entry, here's my second choice limerick:

There was a young lady from Chester
Who squealed as her lover undressed her.
As he peeled off her bra
She shrieked out "There you are!" -
It was then that they came to arrest her.

Why would they arrest the poor young lady? Was she on the game (illegal in some countries - although not in England and therefore not in Chester).

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Originally posted by Richard English:
Why would they arrest the poor young lady?

Indecent exposure, I presume. I never said that the events were taking place in private!

Talking of what may or may not be legal in Chester, some readers may not be aware of this law...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Guy Barry,

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On the other hand, I still want to win.

Ah...we're cut from the same cloth.

Maybe the reason I don't post more limericks is because secretly (unconsciously) I don't want to compete with myself; I admit it, I love to win!