clerihew

[ kler-uh-hyoo ]

noun

, Prosody.

1. a light verse form, usually consisting of two couplets, with lines of uneven length and irregular meter, the first line usually containing the name of a well-known person.

clerihew

/ ˈklɛrɪˌhjuː /

noun

1. a form of comic or satiric verse, consisting of two couplets of metrically irregular lines, containing the name of a well-known person

Word History and Origins

Origin of clerihew¹

1925–30; named after E. Clerihew Bentley (1875–1956), English writer, its inventor

Word History and Origins

Origin of clerihew¹

C20: named after Edmund Clerihew Bentley , who invented it

Example Sentences

So this gave her a chance to share more clerihews from Week 1133, with their ingenious rhyme combined with comically bad meter.

From Washington Post

Still running — deadline Monday night, July 27: our contest for clerihews.

From Washington Post

A clerihew contest was suggested by both David Smith and Michael Greene.

From Washington Post