In The Elements of Style, his popular guide for writers, William Strunk declares:
“The subject of a sentence and the principal verb should not, as a rule, be separated by a phrase or clause that can be transferred to the beginning.”
Language
In a Word
leint
v. to add urine to ale to make it stronger
Simple Enough
The following bill was sent to a gentleman:
aosafada: 1.50
atacinonimomagin: .50
Pade, Josef Jaxn: 2.00The items of that bill are not apothecaries’ articles, as might be supposed; but merely, ‘A horse half a day and a taking of him home again.’
— George Wakeman, “Tormenting the Alphabet,” Galaxy, 1866
In a Word
agrexophrenia
n. inability to perform sexually due to fear of being overheard
“Alliterative Love Letter”
Adored and angelic Amelia, accept an ardent and artless amourist’s affection, alleviate an anguished admirer’s alarms, and answer an amorous applicant’s ardour. Ah, Amelia! all appears an awful aspect. Ambition, avarice, and arrogance, alas! are attractive allurements, and abuse an ardent attachment. Appease an aching and affectionate adorer’s alarms, and anon acknowledge affianced Albert’s alliance as acceptable and agreeable. Anxiously awaiting an affectionate and affirmative answer, accept an admirer’s aching adieu. Always angelic and adorable Amelia’s affectionate amourist, Albert.
— William T. Dobson, Literary Frivolities, Fancies, Follies and Frolics, 1880
In a Word
slockster
n. one who entices away another’s servants
No Comment
BRITNEY SPEARS is an anagram of PRESBYTERIANS.
“Ough”
As a farmer was going to plough,
He met a man driving a cough;
They had words which led to a rough,
And the farmer was struck on his brough.
One day when the weather was rough,
An old lady went for some snough,
Which she thoughtlessly placed in her mough,
And it got scattered, all over her cough.
While a baker was kneading his dough,
A weight fell down on his tough,
When he suddenly exclaimed ough!
Because it had hurt him sough.
There was a hole in the hedge to get through,
It was made by no one knew whough;
In getting through a boy lost his shough,
And was quite at a loss what to dough.
A poor old man had a bad cough,
To a doctor he straight went ough,
The doctor did nothing but scough,
And said it was all fancy, his cough.
— Anonymous, cited in Carolyn Wells, A Whimsey Anthology, 1906
In a Word
swedge
v. to leave without paying one’s bill
Unless You Lisp
The hardest English tongue twister, according to author William Poundstone:
“The seething sea ceaseth and thus the seething sea sufficeth us.”