A limerick is a humorous five-line poem with a fixed rhyme scheme and rhythm. The pattern is usually AABBA, with lines one, two, and five longer than lines three and four.

The form is associated with nonsense and light verse. Edward Lear popularized it in the nineteenth century, and it has remained a vehicle for wit, wordplay, and occasional ribaldry. The bounce of the meter and the snap of the closing rhyme encourage comic timing. Limericks are easy to remember and easy to imitate, which has made them a staple of popular and occasional verse.

Despite their lowly reputation, well-made limericks require control of rhythm and a sharp final turn. The form’s constraints, like those of the sonnet, can stimulate invention. Most limericks remain ephemeral; a few achieve the status of minor classics through sheer cleverness or memorability.

Five lines, a bouncy meter, and a rhymed comic payoff constitute a limerick.