# Double Dactyls, the Higgledy Piggledy Poetry Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 18, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418 "2003-07-18T16:12:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418/1 "2003-07-18T16:12:45Z")
While posting in verse to another [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=3709150#post3709150) (don’t ask), I did a little research and ran across something called a “double dactyl”. It’s a bit like a limerick; a short, strict-form and (ideally) humorous poem. Eight lines, in two four-line stanzas. The syllables are 6-6-6-4, 6-6-6-4. The six-syllable lines should be double-dactylic (HARD-soft-soft-HARD-soft-soft). The fourth and eighth lines rhyme. The first line is nonsense. “Higgledy piggledy” is common but I’ve seen variations. The second line is the subject of the poem, usually a person. If at all possible, one of the six-syllable lines in the second stanza should be a single word. An example (from this [site](http://www.math.wisc.edu/~robbin/Higgeldy.txt)), about Sergei Rachmaninov and the difficulty of playing his music: Higgeldy Piggledy Sergei Rachmaninov wrote his concertos for handspans like wings. Few realistically can pianistically digitalistically play the damned things. Another good [page](http://www.stinky.com/dactyl/dactyl.html), with a little history, rules, examples and links. And a few of my own attempts: Inkery dinkery Doonesbury, Doonesbury, each day the newspaper just goes to show drawings and dialog characteristically spouting the sayings of Garry Trudeau. Dippity dopity Zotti, adminstra- tor of our friendly Straight Dope Message Board; easily maintains the congeniality 'til sacred cows are de- liberately gored. So, join in. I know we have a few people here who consider themselves poets. Tinnity tunity doper community, don’t let this just be a good thread that flops. Channel your energies hexasyllabically; mixed-metaphorically pull out the stops. * * * MODERATOR NOTE: This thread is from 2003, until revived in Post #8. Just alertin’ y’all – CKDH ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418/2 "2003-07-18T16:25:13Z")
_GAMES_ magazine had a contest about this some years back. I remember two other rules about Higgledy-Piggledy poems. The first line is nonsense, such as “Higgledy-Piggledy.” The second line is the name of the poem’s subject. And the more six-syllable double dactyl words you can cram in, the better your style. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418/3 "2003-07-18T16:26:48Z")
Higglesky pigglesky Vladimir Ulyanov Thought as he pulled into Old Petrograd: “Ulyanov, shmulyanov! I need a monker. How about Lenin? Well, That ain’t too bad.” Did that one back in the late Eighties after reading about them in _GAMES_ magazine. OK, so it’s got no hexasyllabic words. I like it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418/4 "2003-07-18T19:16:42Z")
Moppity floppity, Summer is here and the Heat is skyrockety; Worst time of year. Mercury’s soaring! To Sweat is so _boring_! This Superthermality Calls for a beer. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418/5 "2003-07-18T19:18:45Z")
Oops; didn’t see the rule about the second line being the name of the subject. But I don’t feel like spending another fifteen minutes chewing on this, so I’ll let my entry stand as is. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418/6 "2003-07-18T19:25:03Z")
I didn’t realize these were a whole class of poem, but I always liked this one that I encountered on the net sometime in the early to mid '90s: Higgledy-Piggledy Kibo, ubiquitous Greps for his name in the Happynet spool. Interdimensional Cyberspace deity: Didaktyliaios Dada is cool. – Lewis Stiller ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418/7 "2003-07-18T19:30:17Z")
Hollywood, schmollywood, J-Lo and Benjamin’s romance is everywhere, so very sweet. Pass me the insulin! I need to hurl because all the gays _know_ he and Damon slap meat. ---
**Author:** ![Delayed\_Reflex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/delayed_reflex/32/3172_2.png) [@Delayed\_Reflex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delayed_Reflex)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418/8 "2013-08-13T22:14:08Z")
After seeing [this post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16009170&postcount=57) in the recently resurrected thread, I became rather interested in [double dactyl](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_dactyl)poems, thinking that it might be an interesting challenge to try to come up with some. A search revealed this old thread, so I figured I’d just post here instead of starting a new thread: Since it’s an old thread, I thought it might be good to try a zombie-themed one: Oogle-y Boogle-y Zombie George Washington Eating the brains of the Founding fathers “Unconstitutional!” “Someone should stop that fiend!” George keeps on eating 'cause No-one bothers. This was my first attempt at a “Higgledy Piggledy”: Hippity hoppity Slim Shady (Eminem) Walking the 8 mile long Road to Detroit Who should he run into Serendipitiously\* Yep Doctor Dre and his Bling to exploit. \*I find it flows better with this word spelled incorrectly 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418/9 "2013-08-14T00:53:34Z")
Higgledy-Piggledy, Tony Stark, Iron Man, Heart’s made of chromium Reinforced Steel. Which he invented for Sustainability, Since a hole in his chest Really never could heal. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418/10 "2013-08-14T07:16:34Z")
I recall Time magazine had an article on double dactyls back around 1970. Another rule is that the sixth line should be one word. Higgled Piggledy William O. Douglas, Judge had a propensity for a young wife. When she declared him unconstitutional he found a younger one. Justice runs rife. Douglas was a very Liberal supreme Court Justice back in the late 60’s with a young trophy wife. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418/11 "2013-08-14T08:04:56Z")
One of my threads has been resurrected, I am beside myself with joy! One of the things that makes these hard to write is that the subject has to be expressible as a double dactyl, and that kinds limits the people who qualify. When Cardinal Ratzinger became pope it was perfect, but I never came up with anything I was totally happy with. ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418/12 "2013-08-14T09:01:38Z")
I have the Hecht-Hollander edited “Jiggery Pokery” (somewhere), and though they did say that the single-word line being #6 was ideal, #5 or #7 were acceptable as well. WH Auden proposed to ban adverbs as the single-word line, but this was not accepted as law. Anyway, I have posted this somewhere before, perhaps even this site, though I hope not. I’ll try to come up with something new, but for now: Higgledy piggledy Marian Anderson Eleanor Roosevelt Asked to perform (Unconstitutional Hall having reckoned her Coloratura not Up to the norm). Sorry to use “unconstitutional” again so soon, but it couldn’t be helped. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418/13 "2013-08-14T10:20:49Z")
Higamus hogamus, Well-meaning amateurs Rather too often get Horribly stuck Polydactylical Metrical patterning Leaves them defeated and S.O.L. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418/14 "2013-08-14T10:41:59Z")
One I remember from long ago: Higgledy-Piggeldy Rodion Raskolnikov Belted two dames with a broad-bladed axe. “I am a victim of Miseracordia; Beaten,” said he, “By religion and sax.” ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418/15 "2013-08-14T11:53:08Z")
Higgledy Piggeldy Einstein’s relativity Shows my stupidity- I’m too dumb and fat. I tried to study it Wow- my head hurt a bit When Mister Shroedinger Showed me his cat. (I just made this up while at work, between phone calls from an irate boss…) ---
**Author:** ![Streetsinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/0ea827/32.png) [@Streetsinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Streetsinger)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418/16 "2013-08-14T15:06:06Z")
I’m dropping in after lurking for ages to mention that my father, Paul Pascal, now 88, is the (half) inventor of this verse form. He was friends with Anthony Hecht at the American Academy in Rome shortly after World War II. Hecht was very pleased with himself one day because he had managed to write a poem with a one-word-long line (schistosomiasis). But then my father pointed out that the poem was iambic, while schistosomiasis is dactylic. My mother suggested that they come up with a verse form where the word \*would \*fit, and so the two of them invented the double-dactyl. But when the time came to publish a book of them, my father withdrew. He was just beginning his career as a classics professor, and I think he thought a book of comic verse would compromise his dignity or something. So the book ended up being edited by Hecht and John Hollander instead. But it did include one of my father’s verses. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418/17 "2013-08-14T15:45:53Z")
One of my favorites: Higgeldy-piggeldy Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe Softly complained to the Heavenly host, “Buckminster Fuller says Dodecahedronals Carry stress better than Lintel and post” ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418/18 "2013-08-14T16:06:24Z")
> [@Streetsinger](#): > > I’m dropping in after lurking for ages to mention that my father, Paul Pascal, now 88, is the (half) inventor of this verse form. He was friends with Anthony Hecht at the American Academy in Rome shortly after World War II. Hecht was very pleased with himself one day because he had managed to write a poem with a one-word-long line (schistosomiasis). But then my father pointed out that the poem was iambic, while schistosomiasis is dactylic. My mother suggested that they come up with a verse form where the word \*would \*fit, and so the two of them invented the double-dactyl. > > But when the time came to publish a book of them, my father withdrew. He was just beginning his career as a classics professor, and I think he thought a book of comic verse would compromise his dignity or something. So the book ended up being edited by Hecht and John Hollander instead. But it did include one of my father’s verses. Cool. I’ve enjoyed them for a few decades now, and this insight is very interesting. Thanks for sharing! ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418/19 "2013-08-14T17:36:34Z")
I have the original book (1966, first edition). I found out about it from a _Time_ magazine review, in which the reviewer wrote: Higglety-pigglety Anthony/Hollander Two poetasters who Write with one hand Soon they must issue New co-miscellania If they’re to live off The fad of the land. And, being music-oriented, I must repeat a related verse: Higglety-piggledy Ludwig van Beethoven Bored by requests for some Music to hum, Finally answered with Oversimplicity, “Here’s my fifth Symphony: Duh, duh, duh, DUM!” ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418/20 "2013-08-14T17:43:44Z")
Higgledy-Piggledy, Good old Methuselah Lived many years and was A bit of a stud. Life was delightful, though Antediluvian, His days finally drowned Whence cometh the Flood. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-dactyls-the-higgledy-piggledy-poetry-thread/189418.md?page=2)