Clerihew Clerihew A clerihew () is a whimsical, four-line biographical poem invented by Edmund Clerihew Bentley. The first line is the name of the poem's subject, usually a famous person put in an absurd light, or revealing something unknown or spurious about them. The rhyme scheme is AABB, and the rhymes are often forced. The line length and metre are irregular. Bentley invented the clerihew in school and then popularized it in books. One of his best known is this (1905): A clerihew has the following properties: Clerihews are not satirical or abusive, but they target famous individuals and reposition them
Edmund Clerihew Bentley Edmund Clerihew Bentley E. C. Bentley (full name "Edmund Clerihew Bentley"; 10 July 187530 March 1956) was a popular English novelist and humorist, and inventor of the clerihew, an irregular form of humorous verse on biographical topics. Bentley was born in London and educated at St Paul's School and Merton College, Oxford. His father, John Edmund Bentley, was professionally a civil servant but was also a rugby union international having played in the first ever international match for England against Scotland in 1871. Bentley worked as a journalist on several newspapers, including the "Daily Telegraph". He also worked for the