double dactyl en · NOUN
Etymology
Coined by poets Anthony Hecht and Paul Pascal; compound of double + dactyl.
Meanings
-
A short, usually humorous poem with eight lines in dactylic meter; a higgledy-piggledy.
Higgledy-piggledies are more sophisticated than clerihews: they comprise double dactyls and rhymes and aren't always biographical.
1980, Gyles Brandreth, The Joy of Lex, page 123:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| double dactyls | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| double-dactyl | alternative | lexicographic |