Word of the Day, January 14: 'Doggerel'

Word of the day: DOGGEREL
Pronunciation: dog·ger·el UK/ˈdɒɡ.ər.əl/ US/ˈdɑː.ɡɚ.əl/

Meaning:

'Doggerel' refers to poetry or verse that is deliberately or unintentionally crude, simplistic, or irregular in rhythm and rhyme.

It often sounds comic, childish, or clumsy and is usually considered inferior in literary quality, though sometimes it’s written on purpose for humour or satire.

Origin and History:

The word 'doggerel' comes from Middle English (dogerel, dogrel), first recorded in the late 14th century. Its exact origin is uncertain, but most scholars believe it is linked to the word “dog”, implying something worthless, rough, or contemptible—much like how dogs were metaphorically used in mediaeval language to describe low status or poor quality.

Early usage referred to bad or irregular verse, especially poetry that failed to follow classical rules of meter. By the 16th and 17th centuries, the term was widely used by critics to dismiss poetry they considered crude or amateurish.

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Cultural significance and modern usage:

Despite its negative tone, doggerel has played an important role in culture:

• Popular culture and folk traditions: Many nursery rhymes, street songs, and folk verses technically qualify as doggerel.
• Political satire: Doggerel has been used in pamphlets, protest poetry, and mocking verses to ridicule rulers or social norms.
• Literary contrast: Serious poets often used doggerel deliberately to parody poor poetry or to mock pretentious writers.
• Even celebrated writers like William Shakespeare occasionally used doggerel in dialogue to show a character’s foolishness or low social standing.
• In contemporary English, 'doggerel' is used both critically and playfully:
• Critical sense: The poem was dismissed as doggerel by reviewers.
• Today, doggerel is common in: Comic poetry, Song lyrics with playful intent, Internet memes and rhyming jokes. Children’s rhymes and light verse

Interesting facts:

• Not always accidental: Some doggerel is intentionally bad to make a point or provoke laughter.
• Tool for satire: Its clumsiness can enhance mockery and sarcasm.
• Literary survival: Many verses once called doggerel are now valued as historical or cultural artifacts.
• Blurs boundaries: What one era calls doggerel, another may call clever humor.

Examples from literature:

• The only thing that seems even a little surprising is a bit of doggerel, a love poem in Prince Dain’s hand, about a woman who remains unidentified, except by her “sunrise hair” and “starlit eyes.”- The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
• As she passed the mantelpiece, she looked up at the framed doggerel.- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Synonyms:

• Verse
• Paean
• Poems
• Poesy
• Rhyme

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