Double dactyl
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A dactyl is a poetic foot of the form >-- (ON-off-off). For example, matador, realize, cereal, limerick, etc. A double dactyl can therefore mean simply two dactyls in a row.
A double dactyl is also a verse form, also known as "higgledy piggledy," invented by Anthony Hecht and Paul Pascal in 1961. Like a limerick, it has a rigid structure and is usually humorous, but the double dactyl is considerably more rigid and difficult to write. There must be two stanzas, each comprising three lines of dactylic dimeter followed by a line with a dactyl and a single accent. The two stanzas have to rhyme on their last line. The first line of the first stanza is repetitive nonsense. The second line of the first stanza is the subject of the poem, a proper noun (usually someone's name). Note that this name must itself be double-dactylic. There is also a requirement for at least one line of the second stanza to be entirely one double dactyl word, for example "va-le-dic-tor-i-an".
A classic example by Theodore S. Drachman:
- Small Problem
- Higgamus Hoggamus
- "Anton Von Leewenhoek
- Has a small problem," con-
- Fided his wife.
- "Microbiology
- Doesn't disturb me; his
- Microanatomy's
- Blighting my life!"
A lewd, yet clever one by Brian Flanagan -- although the word stresses in the last two lines do not follow normal English pronunciation:
- Show Business
- "Hey-nonny, ho-nonny,
- Penis Van Lesbian
- Entered the bus'ness that
- no biz is like."
- "Keen on increasing his
- marketability,
- he took on the stage name
- of Dick Van Dyke."
A wonderful one by Paul Pascal on the subject of Antony and Cleopatra:
- Tact
- "Patty cake, patty cake,
- Marcus Antonius,
- What do you think of the
- African queen?"
A similar verse form called a McWhirtle was invented in 1989 by American poet Bruce Newling.
