Limerick Tuesday XIV - The Results

Wow! A veritable bumper-crop of kick-ass limericks.

It's hard to pick favorites. Shane Alexander and Beeki get props for respectable rhyme and strong meter. Welcome to Beeki on her first limerick. A special point to Shane for passing up an opportunity (as a minister of the gospel) to expound upon a church leader, and instead sending up a summary of The Da Vinci Code. Well played. :)

A few clever folks took the Klaatu Barada Nicktu bait. For those of you who don't know, that phrase is a double reference. As computer programmer and maverick band manager Jeff O'Donnell points out in his limerick, the phrase originates from the Cold War-era science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). The phrase was used to stop the robot Gort from destroying the Earth: "Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!" There is no known translation, although "Klaatu" is the name of the humanoid alien protagonist in the film, "barada" is Russian for "beard" and "niktó" is Russian for "nobody / no one." It's a great film about a robot bent on destroying all beings with facial hair. There's a remake planned for this film (isn't there always) starring none other than Unexposed Granite's favorite actor target Keanu Reeves. Word is that he's already going through extensive physical training. They're worried he might be too stiff to play the robot.

And yet, the phrase is also referenced in the cult film Army of Darkness. Daniel posted a limerick in which he expressed disdain for me watching the film without him when I lived with his family. I wonder if he realizes that grudge is now ten years old. ("Laces out, Dan!") But at least he's expressing your anger in good rhyme and meter. Anyway, the best of the Klaatu limericks was put forth by Carver, who knew the film and captured its essence with aplomb.

Oops, and just submitted now (as I'm typing this epic results post) is The Cachinator's take on smells in the mall:

Oh, Cookie Cake smell how it gets ya,
Sbarro catches you too, that I'll bet ya,
But the temptingest scent,
Is the one that is sent,
From that slut Auntie Anne and her pretzels.

Apparently, he knows Aunt Annie better than the rest of us.

But there were, for me, three stand outs. (Some of the best we've had in a while, in my opinion.)

On the disciples we have lindsay:

this limerick has not the meter
to explain how i love simon peter
he walked on the water
but needed a spotter
when he at once started to teeter.

Your prize.

and Jared:

When Jesus recruited his crew
He chose who he wanted to.
With Thad and the Brothers,
Matt, Tom, and the others,
It's a Zebedee Zobodee Zoo.

You never cease to amaze, Jared. Your prize, a $25 gift card to this store.

And for truly inspired category conglomeration... Joey

In 30 A.D. Greece, at the mall,
Disciple Simon had a close call,
'Cuz their "phat" friend Thomas,
Broke his New Year's promise:
Baklava was smelled on Tom's prayer shawl.

You have to love the idea of the disciples hanging out in the food court. And the fact that Thomas is trying to lose a little from the middle. Brilliant! Prize.

Well done, everybody. See you next week.