Dining On Limericks (Limerick-Off Monday)

It’s Limerick-Off time, once again. And that means I write a limerick, and you write your own, using the same first line. Then you post your limerick here and, if you’re a Facebook user, on Facebook too.

The best submission will be crowned Limerick Of The Week. (Here’s last week’s Limerick Of The Week Winner plus the Honorable Mentions.)

How will your poems be judged? By meter, rhyme, and cleverness. (If you’re feeling a bit fuzzy about limerick writing rules, you can find some helpful resources listed here.)

I’ll announce the Limerick of the Week Winner right before I post next week’s Limerick-Off. So that gives you a full week to submit your clever, polished verse.

I hope you’ll join me in writing a limerick with this first line:

A fellow was trying to dine…

or

A woman was trying to dine…

Here’s mine:

Dining On Limericks
By Madeleine Begun Kane

A fellow was trying to dine,
When a teenager started to whine.
Then a baby chimed in —
Spoiled his steak. What a sin!
So he yelled, “Damn those children of mine!”

Please feel free to write your own limerick using the same first line and post it in my comments. And if you’re on Facebook, I hope you’ll join my friends in that same activity on my Facebook Limerick-Off post.

To receive an email alert whenever I post a new Limerick-Off, please send me an email requesting the alerts. You’ll find my email address on the upper right sidebar, in the “Author” section just below my Limerick-Offs button. Thanks!

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75 Responses to “Dining On Limericks (Limerick-Off Monday)”

  1. A fellow was trying to dine
    When his wife proposed they recline.
    Being on a winner,
    He postponed his dinner,
    An arrangement that suited just fine.

  2. Rinkly Rimes says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    On a ship as it sailed down the Rhine.
    But the sauerkraut spilt
    All over his kilt
    And the Germans all shouted out ‘Nein!

  3. Gawd I always seem to come and read you when I’ve just woken up and my brain’s not in gear. Nice limerick though. :)

  4. Love it, Madeleine! I will try and get back to join in sometime today!

  5. Pat Hatt says:

    A fellow who was trying to dine
    Turned his back on his feline
    He did not see it approach
    Until it decided to pouch
    Stealing his chicken, that swine

  6. hansi says:

    A fellow who was trying to dine
    Sat with a friend who was quite a swine
    He ate like a pig
    With an appetite quite big
    And from a paper cup, drank all of his wine.

  7. kaykuala says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    With a fair lady, ambience and fine wine
    He tried to be nice
    But it was just no dice
    Can’t be hurting and hope things are fine?

  8. Miss Kitten says:

    A woman was trying to dine.
    But she had drunk six glasses of wine.
    Room started to spin.
    Walls caving right in.
    Don’t worry she said, I’ll be fine.

  9. A fellow was trying to dine
    Of his food, there still was no sign;
    Told the waiter his plight,
    “Will I sit here all night?”
    “Oh no, sir, we close up at nine.”

  10. Bruce Niedt says:

    The flip side of kaykaula’s limerick. I note that “swine” is a favorite rhyme here. – again, I wrote this before reading the others.

    A woman was trying to dine
    while her blind date was so serpentine.
    He just wanted the chance
    to get into her pants –
    she had pork, but this guy was a swine.

  11. Bruce Niedt says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    when they served him a substandard wine.
    Said his date, “How’d you know
    that its quality’s low?”
    He replied, “The screw-cap’s a bad sign.”

  12. Drew says:

    A woman was trying to dine
    on food that was so very fine
    but you can’t do that thing
    at the close Burger King
    For gourmet food did the poor woman pine.

    (slightly edited from my G+ submission. I like this one better)

  13. Thom says:

    Excellent MK I love it. Here’s my entry for the week:

    A woman was trying to dine
    Her diet consisted of wine
    A sot and a boozer
    Most thought her a loser
    Oh how that poor woman would whine

  14. The Orange Tree says:

    love it,

    the word flow is always perfect and fun.

  15. scott says:

    A fellow was trying to dine,
    and keep his car in a straight line,
    as he steered with his knee,
    but crashed into a tree.
    Now he’s in a box made of pine.

  16. Laurie Kolp says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    while laid up in bed with his spine.
    Wife-y’s soup burned his lip
    which he spit at her hip;
    he’s back at square one to align.

  17. A fellow was trying to dine
    As the locals did, in a recline
    But the man’s vomitorium,
    In a vast auditorium,
    Said “If you wanna barf, get in line!”

  18. Veralynne says:

    A woman was trying to dine
    But she’d already had too much wine
    Dropped a big plate of pork
    Then lost the serving fork
    Sound it, poking her eye with a tine!

  19. scott says:

    A woman was trying to dine,
    and trying to watch her waistline.
    So she skipped the entrée,
    but gained weight anyway.
    And that’s fine, ‘cuz she’s mine, and divine.

  20. mareymercy says:

    Love it! Your site always gives me a grin, even though I’m not good with writing limericks.

  21. andy sewina says:

    Nice one Mad!
    Here’s my attempt:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    And time after time after time
    He fell off his stool
    And made like a fool
    So next time he’s eating at mine
    05092011/1

  22. andy sewina says:

    Hi mad, I think the last line in this version is stronger:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    And time after time after time
    He fell off his stool
    And made like a fool
    So next time he’s drinking less wine
    05092011/2

  23. brian says:

    a fellow was trying to dine,
    when a lady came to his mind
    he rang her phone up
    invited to sup
    dessert was a little behind

  24. Linda Scheller says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    On his caviar, fois gras and wine.
    He looked through the glass,
    Saw a match-selling lass
    And then muttered, “Oh well. I’ve got mine.”

  25. madkane says:

    Thanks everyone for your fun limericks. Please keep them coming and cross-post them on my Facebook post if you’re active on FB.

  26. The last word of my second line should have read ‘recline’ – I’ve got no future as a subeditor.

    (Mad Kane’s Note: I fixed ‘recline’ for you.)

  27. Mark Kane says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    On treats where the sun just don’t shine.
    But the husband appeared,
    Just as he feared,
    Shouting “She is all mine, you old swine.”

  28. Mark Kane says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    On the lady he’d bound in tight twine.
    But she made one request,
    Before starting his fest,
    Add a blindfold, and she would be fine.

  29. J Sardo says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    In a restaurant rated sublime
    He ordered fine wine
    But it turned into brine
    And rendered him quickly supine.

  30. J Sardo says:

    A woman was trying to dine
    In a restaurant that closes at nine.
    She appealed to the cook
    With skirt raised to her nook
    Stay open and have a good time.

  31. Kay Salady says:

    A woman was trying to dine
    at a diner on 3rd Street and Vine.
    She told her date, “See ya,
    I have got diarrhea.
    It’ll have to be some other time.”

  32. Ira Bloom says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    On a meat which he couldn’t define.
    It was beaten with mallets
    And sauteed with shallots;
    For roadkill, he thought it divine.

  33. Jesse Levy says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    with another guy who was blind.
    Blind Guy spilled the soup,
    the night turned to poop,
    The first fellow’s name? Frankenstein.

  34. fiveloaf says:

    i wont write one but i am enjoying all the fun here haha! here’s my entry: Roar To Mankind

  35. A woman was trying to dine
    Standing for long in a line
    When she got her plate
    ‘It is too late,’
    The waiter said,’This diner closes at nine!’

  36. A fellow was trying to dine,
    Poor thing! He kept on tryin’…
    Alas he failed
    Because we all railed
    And kept him stuck at the first line!!!!!!

  37. Fabulous! Love it! Will put my thinking cap on. :O)

  38. Tilly Bud says:

    I’m struggling to keep up at the moment but I hope to get back here soon.

  39. A fellow was trying to dine
    but mostly he drank lots of wine
    became quite unstable
    slipped under the table
    his wife said, Oh no, he’s not mine

  40. Ann LeFlore says:

    I love your blog so much and each time there is a share I have to come and visit. I visit all the blogs on Gooseberry and hope you have a wonderful Gooseberry day. Already looking forward to next week to come back and read some more of your work.

    Haggle-Baggily

  41. ha – honestly, when my eldest daughter was a baby, she always started to cry when we were about starting to eat…now she’s twenty and a lovely young woman…smiles

  42. A fellow was trying to dine
    on some delicacies porcine.
    He stood at the fridge
    bit smidge after smidge
    and delighted at being vulpine.

  43. Love your sight…always enjoy the limericks…I have never tried writing one…scares me…lol

  44. Neal P says:

    A man who was trying to dine
    saw his fork had a speck on one tine
    Was it pepper or spice?
    Was it rats? Was it mice?
    He decided to stick with the wine

  45. Slight metre tweak, if I may? …

    A fellow was trying to dine
    Of his sirloin, there still was no sign;
    Told the waiter his plight,
    “Will I sit here all night?”
    “Oh no, sir, we close up at nine.”

  46. Morning says:

    love it.

    you are a gem in humor writing…

  47. A.B. Thomas says:

    Oh how the humour of the write would be so rich if I didn’t empathize with the dude!

  48. Granny Smith says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    With sacramental wine.
    The guy was prodigious
    At being religious.
    He called it the fruit of divine.

  49. Patrice of the ManyCats says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    But couldn’t ignore the loud whine
    From the table one down,
    Then smoothed out a frown:
    Solution – I’ll order more wine.

  50. MM says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    But he noticed a troubling sign
    “No picknicking here –
    Bulls living near”
    Before he was trampled by a herd of bovine

  51. A fellow was trying to dine
    On food and drink that was so fine,
    When he choked on a bone,
    Never got to go home;
    In Heaven he spends all of his time.

  52. bendedspoon says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    But his steak was grabbed by canine
    It made him very mad
    And his wife very sad
    Her poisonous plan ended at nine

  53. Johanna Richmond says:

    A woman was trying to dine
    When her date, a bit touched by the wine,
    Took dessert down below
    Where she heard him cry, “Whoa,
    Crème broulee never tasted so fine!”

  54. oudiva says:

    A fellow was trying to dine,
    But his entree was not well-designed.
    It looked appetisin’
    But tasted like p’ison;
    To eat it he therefore declined.

  55. Patrice of the ManyCats says:

    A woman was trying to dine
    With her promising new valentine,
    But his manners – a Hun!
    She declared they were done:
    “You just aren’t meant to Be Mine.”

  56. A woman was trying to dine
    Alone with a bottle of wine.
    But company soon came along
    Offering the usual dance and song–
    Oh to be alone with that bottle of wine!

  57. Jo Bryant says:

    always a joy yo visit here and find gems

  58. Patrice of the ManyCats says:

    A woman was trying to dine –
    Steak medium well, veggies fine;
    Then the server made eyes,
    Didn’t try to disguise
    His Fruit of the Loom – looked de vine.

  59. Shammi says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    On fresh strawberries and aged wine.
    The berries were sweet
    A perfect fresh fruit treat –
    But the alcohol, worryingly, came in a stein.

  60. Old Raven says:

    It is rather nice to run across you in the AM … I tend to look at things from too serious a point of view.

    A woman was trying to dine,
    sadly she needed to meet her deadline.
    Her deadline for what you opined?
    Well, you know how she is.
    Today is all about her dzine!

  61. RJ Clarken says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    at a table with steep(ish) incline.
    Thus his meal? It did roll
    as if outta control
    but he blamed the whole slant on the wine.

  62. RJ Clarken says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    on some crackers while lying supine
    when a crumb of some note
    got quite stuck in his throat.
    Then he choked. That’s the bottom line.

  63. RJ Clarken says:

    A vampire was trying to dine
    on a member of THE royal line.
    On the queen, he put fangs.
    to sate strong blue-blood pangs
    and to make him feel sanguinely fine.

  64. Granny Smith says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    On food that he couldn’t define.
    His palette was wary:
    A food without dairy?
    Or merely the fruit of the vine?

  65. Patrice of the ManyCats says:

    A woman was trying to dine
    When she felt all those glasses of wine;
    Her speech became slurred
    And her vision quite blurred –
    She saw, not one server, but nine.

  66. madkane says:

    Thanks everyone for your fun limericks. And please keep them coming!

  67. I strongly believe that limericks should be risque but lowered my standards (briefly):

    A fellow was trying to dine
    But lamented the taste of the wine.
    The flavour, he said,
    Was of something long dead,
    And that death was far from benign.

  68. Bone says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    But children continued to whine
    He got up to leave
    Said next time I’ll heed
    When it says “Kids eat free” on the sign

  69. Ann LeFlore says:

    This is so funny and I love how everyone has written a verse on here I am not that good at this one but I love to read them all. Thank you for sharing I had such a good laugh
    My Poo-poo Is Sleeping

  70. Veralynne says:

    A woman was trying to dine
    But she’d already had too much wine
    Dropped a big plate of pork,
    Lost the serving fork,
    Found it, poked her eye with a tine!

  71. Veralynne says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    On the cheap so he tried a sardine
    It wasn’t great, but okay.
    Tomorrow? Another day.
    Perhaps then he’d try aspic (gelatine).

  72. Veralynne says:

    A woman was trying to dine
    But her partner continued to whine
    Dirty silver, a draft on his back,
    Nothing gained–nothing but lack.
    She gestured, “Waiter, refill his stein.”

    If he railed on, getting into his chips,
    Maybe complaining wouldn’t pass his lips.
    It worked! Yippee and hooray!
    She’d enjoy her carp en filet
    Without carping and unclever quips.

  73. Granny Smith says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    On thoughts of foods foreign and fine…
    The market went bust.
    He finds that he must
    Seek food in a soup-kitchen line.

  74. Mrs4444 says:

    A fellow was trying to dine
    on a bratwurst, which he thought sublime.
    But without any kraut
    It left nothing but doubt
    Guess the cabbage was still on the vine.

    Sorry, but it’s the best I could do!haha

  75. madkane says:

    Thanks everyone for your delightful limericks. Your submissions were especially good this past week, so it was unusually hard to pick the winners. But somehow I managed to, and you can find out who won who won Limerick of the Week and the Honorable Mentions here.

    I’ve already launched a new Limerick-Off where you can compete once again for Limerick of the Week. It’s right here: Sweaty Limerick.