Tiny hamster. Big opinions.
Rhymes in the wild
“Don’t Stand So Close to Me”
The Police · 1980
Written by Sting
Written by Sting
One of the most argued-over rhymes in rock has a Russian novelist in it.
rhymehamster.com
Myth or fact?
“Using a rhyming dictionary is cheating.”
Well?
rhymehamster.com
New in Merriam-Webster
yacht rock
\ ˈyät-ˌräk \
noun
Smooth, breezy soft rock of the late ’70s and early ’80s. Best enjoyed on a boat you don’t own.
So what rhymes with it?
rhymehamster.com
Rhymes in the wild
“Don’t Stand So Close to Me”
The Police · 1980
Written by Sting
Written by Sting
One of the most argued-over rhymes in rock has a Russian novelist in it.
rhymehamster.com
Why it only sorta works
The catch: cough is a stressed word. The -kov at the end of Nabokov isn’t. The rhyme lands on a syllable the name doesn’t lean on.
Critics groaned. Sting called it a rhyme “so appalling it’s almost humorous,” and kept it.
rhymehamster.com
Rhymes in the wild
“A Little Priest”
Stephen Sondheim · Sweeney Todd · 1979
The most delicious rhyming in musical theatre?
rhymehamster.com
-ence-arch-ight-tion-able-ward-ound-atch-ment-ange-ness-eachPop quiz
Seven words.
Same last four letters.
Zero rhymes.
Same last four letters.
Zero rhymes.
Do you know?
rhymehamster.com
New in Merriam-Webster
cake pop
\ ˈkāk-ˌpäp \
noun
A bite-size ball of cake and frosting on a stick, dipped in a candy coating.
So what rhymes with it?
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Rhymes in the wild
“Lose Yourself”
Eminem, Jeff Bass and Luis Resto · 8 Mile · 2002
The rap song that won an Oscar. Listen to how it rhymes.
rhymehamster.com
Myth or fact?
“Only five words in English have no perfect rhyme: orange, silver, month, pint and ninth.”
Well?
rhymehamster.com
Myth or fact?
“Marry, merry and Mary all sound the same.”
Well?
rhymehamster.com
New in Merriam-Webster
cold brew
\ ˈkōld-ˈbrü \
noun
Coffee steeped in cold water for hours. Smoother, stronger and somehow pricier.
So what rhymes with it?
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Rhymes in the wild
“50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”
Paul Simon · 1975
The chorus started as a rhyming game with a three-year-old.
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New in Merriam-Webster
cuff·ing sea·son
\ ˈkə-fiŋ-ˌsē-zᵊn \
noun
The chilly months when single people suddenly want someone to hunker down with.
So what rhymes with it?
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Rhymes in the wild
“Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off”
George and Ira Gershwin · 1937
Shall We Dance
Shall We Dance
A song where the rhymes only work if two people disagree.
rhymehamster.com
Myth or fact?
“Social rhymes with antisocial.”
Well?
rhymehamster.com
The Hamster Papers
Long reads from a short desk.
The State of Rhyme
What Rhymes With Your Name?
Tokyo, Meet Pinocchio