Words Without Rhyme.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 204, 21 May 1887, Page 4 (Supplement)

Words Without Rhyme.

The editor of the ' Dramatic Review ' having asked his readers if they knew a word to rhyme with the comparatively easy one, 'silver,' that 'master of verbal contortion,' Mr. W. S. Gilbert, wrote as follows :—: — Sir, — You advertise for a rhyme to * silver.' Allow me to submit ' chilver ' to your consideration. I confess lam not quiet clear as to what a chilver may be, but I have seen the word in advertisments of sales of farm stock, and I have an idea that it describes a species of sheep. Perhaps some of your readers who are better farmers than I, can give you more information on the subject. I am bound to admit that I cannot find the word in any dictionary. It has long been supposed that there is no rhyme to ' month.' There is a rhyme to it — not * onety-onth/ or any lisping versions of such words as ' once/ 'dunce,' etc., but a legitimate word in every-day use. Perhaps your readers would like to guess what it is. While I am on the subject of rhymes, I should like to suggest that any inventor who is in need of a name for his invention would confer a boon on all rhymesters, and at the same time ensure himself many gratuitous advertisements, if he were to select a word that rhymes to one of the many words in common use that have very few rhymes or none at all. Any invention called, for instance, a ' Lorrangc,' would surely be referred to whenever a poet wished to rhyme to x orange.' A few more words rhyming to * love ' are greatly wanted. All who have dabbled in amatory verse must have felt this necessity. • Revenge ' and ' avenge ' having no rhyme but • Penge ' and ' Stonehenge ' \ 'coif has no rhyme at all. 'Starve* has no rhyme except (0 irony !) ' carve/ ' Scarf ' has no rhyme, though I fully expect to be told that ' laugh ' and ' half and ' calf ' are admissible — which they certainly are not. ' Scalp ' has norhyme but 'Alp.' 'False' has no [ rhyme — { valse ' is near it, but the | French accent disqualifies it. 'Waltz' is near it, but the 't ' spoils it. * Babe* has no rhyme but ' astrolabe ' — certain proper names excepted. * Gamboge ' has no rhyme but ' rouge.' ' Tube * would bo rhynaeless, save for ' cube 7 and 'jujube.' 'Fugue 'has no rhyme at all. ' Gulf * rhymes with no English word : we have to fall back on ' Cardin,al Pandulph,' and * Ulf,' the minstrel. k Azimuth ' has only ' doth. 5 * Culm ' and ' cusp ' have no-English rhymes. — Your obedient servant, W. S. Gilbert.