OEDILF

Frequently Asked Questions About Using The Limerick Database

This is a serious writing project, and accepted (or even tentatively accepted) limericks must follow the standard anapestic metrical form and rhyme scheme of a limerick. Whether the contributor is a published writer or a student—and we have approved limericks from both camps currently in the collection—we hold his or her work to the same standards for acceptability.
We are not designed to be a replacement for your good teaching. Please be sure your students understand the concepts of anapestic meter and rhyme before they submit. It would be a plus if these students could also tell a good story in the five lines available. A submitted limerick should be, in the contributor's mind, basically a finished product which will require only tweaks and such to make it acceptable. Submissions that are, for instance, largely in iambic meter or that have an ABABC rhyme scheme will likely be ignored by the editors.
Nearly every limerick goes through revisions. If a limerick falls short of perfection, it will be commented on, and it will need revision. The submitter should be aware that it sometimes takes months to get a limerick from initial submission to final approval.
It would be more educationally relevant for your students if you, the teacher, joined first and got a sense of how we do business here. A young mind may not be prepared for peer review, criticism, adherence to house style, etc. If you first learn these aspects of what we expect of all contributors, you will be better prepared to teach your students the precepts they need to participate meaningfully in the OEDILF. Additionally, your own approved limericks are an excellent way to show the students that you are an active writer yourself, and that you understand this project. (Joining the project several months prior to your intended classroom activities is advised.)
Please notify the Editor-in-Chief in advance if you plan to have students submit so we may be prepared for the workload. Any appreciable number of new submitters is an onslaught for the volunteers working on this project, and their time is precious. Please be considerate of that.

How do I enter a limerick?

The quick answer: click the "Add a Limerick" link in the navigation bar.

The step by step description with an example: First Limerick.

How should I format my limerick?

Write five lines of plain text with a capital letter at the start of each line. Within the text you should highlight the word you are defining by using HTML Tags. Avoid using all uppercase letters unless there are words that really must be shouted.

How can I edit my limerick?

First you need to get to the workshop view on your limerick. The 'My Limericks' link in the navigation bar should show you all your limericks with a 'Workshop' link on the left.

In the workshop view, on the left, just under the limerick, there is a 'Revise Limerick' button. That button will allow you to edit the limerick, the word(s) it defines and the notes you'd like displayed along with the limerick.

Why won't the system let me revise this limerick?

Either your limerick has already been approved for publication, or the limerick is not yours.

Why can I only write on words within a certain alphabetic spread?

This is possibly our most frequently asked question and it touches upon one of the few rules that we are absolutely certain will never change. The answer has to do with two aspects of this project:

1. One of our goals is to become recognized as a legitimate unabridged reference work. One step toward this goal is completeness; a dictionary that provides definitions for a lot of words is certainly not as useful as another that provides definitions for all of them. Obviously, words like "balloon" and "dribble," just to pick two at random, are easier and, frankly, more fun to write on than "benzylpiperazine" or "discontentedness." By writing the OEDILF one alphabetic section at a time, we are trying to ensure that all of the more difficult words are covered.

2. By maintaining a strict adherence to this no-jumping-ahead rule, we are also taking into consideration our future OEDILFers. If we were to open up the entire alphabet right now and allow today's writers to submit limericks based on any word they chose, all of the "good" words would be snapped up within a few short years. We foresee this project extending well into the future, but who would want to join us ten or twenty years from now if the only words left to write on were of the "benzylpiperazine" variety?

How will I know if my limerick has been accepted?

Eventually we will have a system where you may opt to receive emails when workshop comments are added or your limerick is formally accepted. For the moment you'll have to log in and look at the recent activity lists on the Activity page.

I've written a brilliant limerick but someone else has beaten me to that word. Should I post mine?

Yes. There are no prizes for being first. There are no penalties for tackling words that have already been assaulted and humiliated by many authors. The OEDILF is not limited to one limerick for each word meaning.

Have fun.

How do I put links in my Author's Notes?

To include a link to another limerick, include the limerick number preceded by # and surrounded by two sets of square brackets, e.g.

The first limerick is [[#1]].

When the author's note is displayed, the system will show it like this:

The first limerick is #1.

Also, you can replace that unattractive limerick number with meaningful link text by typing:

See [[#T6293:Chris J. Strolin's limerick]] for further developments.

...to get:

See Chris J. Strolin's limerick for further developments.

What do the "Del.+>" and "Del." buttons do?

When you're viewing a workshop for a limerick that is listed in your Activity page, there are a set of Activity buttons displayed on the right hand side of the screen, just under the limerick. These buttons can be used to step through the workshops referenced in your activity list.
<< goes to the first activity in the list.
< goes to the previous activity in the list.
Del.+> deletes the notification message from your activity list, then goes to the next activity.
Del. is displayed when you're at the last workshop in your list. It deletes the notification message from your activity list, then returns you to the activity page.
> goes to the next activity in the list.
>> goes to the last activity in the list.

Why is my limerick still listed as 'held' or 'new'?

When you first enter a limerick or revise a limerick it is kept hidden away from the world until an editor has seen it. Let's face it, if your three-year-old gets creative with your computer while you're on the phone, we don't want the results being displayed to the public when they search for a word.

Sometimes the editors will add comments and suggestions that should be addressed before an editor will allow your limerick to be shown to the world. Once your limerick is knocked into a reasonable semblance of standard limerick form an editor will mark it as 'tentative' so it will appear in the dictionary. See Limerick Status for further explanation.

What should I do when a workshopper tells me my limerick doesn't rhyme?

First step is to make sure you really understand what the workshopper means by Rhyme. Perfect rhyme is expected. It is achievable in most cases.

If you still feel the workshopper is wrong, point to the dictionary pronunciations of your words and show how your words fit the definition of a perfect rhyme. It's not enough to say, "they sound the same to me."

If none of the dictionaries you can find show pronunciations that match your dialect, you should either:

use formatting, spelling, or dropped letters to let the reader know you are adopting a commonly known dialect or distortion of English, or
add an author's note on your limerick to explain how it should be read.

Don't expect that all readers will anticipate the subtle combination of Australian + Welsh + Indian pronunciations that you and your isolated commune think of as Proper English.

What's all this RFA stuff?

RFA means Ready for Final Approval. WEs (Workshopping Editors) will declare your limerick to be RFA when they're happy that your limerick is polished and sparkling. After 4 WEs have indicated their approval in this manner, the "Ready For Approval" button will appear in your workshop so that you can signal when you think the limerick is ready.

The system of approvals may seem complicated, but it provides a way for the Editor-in-Chief to focus attention on limericks that are truly ready for final approval.

How do I get to workshop other people's limericks?

See the Guidelines. It lists the requirements for becoming a Workshopping Editor.

Why is my showcase limit always zero?

Once you have enough approved limericks to gain the title of Contributing Editor your limit will rise. See the Guidelines for more details.

How do I put limericks in a showcase?

On the 'My Limericks' page, each approved limerick will have an extra link entitled 'Add to Showcase' (or 'Remove from Showcase' if the limerick is already showcased).

This limerick is doomed. How can I delete it?

If none of the workshopping suggestions give any hope of resuscitating your fatally flawed limerick, revise it and replace the limerick text with "Please delete me". Then send a message to either Chris J. Strolin or Virge to get it removed.

What's with the lighthouse?

Limericks...lighthouse. You don't get the connection?
No, I didn't think so.

The lighthouse in question is on the island of Nantucket—a name immortalized in limerick lore.

My question isn't covered here. What should I do?

Post a question in the forum.

© Copyright 2004-2025 OEDILF. The information on this page may not be reproduced in any form without written permission by the .
All limericks remain the property of the authors who contributed them and are reproduced here by permission.
If you reproduce an individual limerick under the doctrine of fair use or fair dealing, please credit the limerick's author.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Using The Limerick Database

Registration

Entering Limericks

Workshopping

Other