Also
Posted on January 12, 2005 Posted by John Scalzi 46 Comments
Submerging for the next three days (chapters to edit; pieces to write). Consider this an open thread to play in while I’m busy trying to salvage my writing career. Starter topic: Why aren’t there any words that rhyme with orange? Feel free to free-associate from there or ignore it entirely.
> Why aren’t there any words that rhyme with orange?
Well, obviously it means that the English language is incomplete. It’s left for an exercise for writers to coin a new word that fits.
That exercise sounds borange.
Doorhinge.
Flange comes close.
Perhaps we just need to start pronouncing it “correctly.”
John Mayer did a song called “George’s Blues”:
“I like to eat an orange
With my friend George Malakornge
I like to eat an orange
With my friend George Malakornge
So juicy sweet, so good to eat,
An orange with George Malakornge”
Dammit! Why can’t I format line breaks?
Well, what do you know?
Perhaps I can.
The one I heard about rhyming orange is:
Eating an orange
While making love
Makes for bizarre enj-
oyment thereof.
But I don’t remember who wrote it.
For the last few years, I’ve been trying to work “splorange” into the vernacular.
splorange n., A word created to rhyme with a second word which has no natural rhymes.
Help me out, if you can. You don’t even have to credit me for it.
Scott,
“Doorhinge,” was that by Asimov, or maybe Ellison?
C-Flange comes even closer than flange!
C-Flange comes even closer than flange!
There are no words that rhyme with “silver” either.
I think we should hearby declare that for now on, “orange” rhymes with “silver.”
Kills two birds with one stone…
If we start pronouncing Orange “correctly”… how will we pronounce the word “correctly”? Incidentally, what rhymes with correctly anyways?
” . . . what rhymes with correctly anyways?”
How about “seven lost castaways?”
Here on Gilligan’s Aisle (sic).
I’m pretty sure that the “Eating an orange” rhyme is from Tom Lehrer. Not one of his songs — he was challenged to rhyme “orange” in an interview once..
I actually wrote a (mostly intentionally awful) sonnet on this very topic. It’s so fitting that I can’t resist reproducing it here, but please, please don’t shoot me:
The things that poets oft describe–
Like skies and roses, trees and sunset–
Need names the rhyme scheme can transcribe.
Absent rhymes may stunt one’s content.
One way to render lyrical expression,
Is talk of colors, dreams, and kissing.
How can a poet polish her profession,
When words she needs are stubborn; missing?
In all my days, there stands out one offender,
The harshest barrier ‘tween mind and tongue.
Tigers, pumpkins, leaves in late November,
Must all their hue and pallor go unsung.
A revelation long by poets rued:
You want to talk of orange? Ha! You’re screwed.
(Apologies if the line breaks don’t come through. I’m guessing from a previous comment that they might, but it sure doesn’t look like it in the preview.)
Ha! I like it. Thanks, Liz.
In NW Arkansas, “porridge” rhymes with “orange.”
You’re gone to just have to take my word for it, I’m afraid, unless you can find an Arkie to say the words for you.
Orange doesn’t have to rhyme with anything. Orange rhymes with itself.
Melange
Lozenge!
Especially if you have a cold.
“Pease pass me duh awrange lawrzanges. Tank u.”
purple or month dont have ryming partners ethier
SILVER rhymes with CHILVER !!!!! Chilver is a name for a female lamb you numpties…..
PURPLE rhymes with HURPLE !!!! To hurple means to limp or drag ones foot……. Good grief, do you lot not know ANYTHING about the English language ?
rhyming the word orange is easier than most might think, if your trying to find a direct rhyme one could say there is no rhyme if your thinking you have to have the OR and the ANGE but rhyming happens when you use the same sounding syllable, so if you rhyme the OR or the ANGE sound it would fit, therefor a perfect rhyme for orange would be…
Oranges don’t grow well in Portand Oragon but grow very well in Orlando Florida.
other words that rhyme with “ORANGE”
STRANGE, RANGE, DERANGE.
One more rhyme.
I knew a guy who every day eat an ORANGE,
after two years his hair and skin began to CHANGE,
that’s right they turned ORANGE,
a young boy saw him and said YOUR STRANGE.
As for the word SILVER here are a few.
CHILLER, DRILLER, FILLER, GILBERT, GIBLER, HITLER, KILLER, LINGER, MILLER, and WILBER,
Thank you for indulging me, I’ve been concidering this for some time as a song writer this has come up in conversation a time or two.
Orange rhymes with lozenge, boring, forage, porridge, and door hinge
orange – lozenge, boring, forage, porridge, door-hinge
silver – filter, shiver, filler, deliver, liver
purple – Steve Urkel, whirlpool, urinal
month – dunce, hunts, moth, runt
ninth – mine, lines, absinth, labyrinth
pint – ain’t, paint, might
wolf – gulf, fur, enough, dull
opus – flow this, rope is, Lupus, lotus, bogus, psychosis
dangerous – onerous, cameras, game to us, spontaneous
marathon – care what’s on, dandruff song, Dara’s wrong, Santa’s con
discombobulate – the disco they love to hate, Crisco ovulate, risky even on a date, Sisqo’s rollerblades
If someone would put up some coins
I’d try to find a rhyme for orange.
Doesn’t pilfer come close close enough to rhyming with silver.
SPORANGE RHYMES WITH ORANGE!
Well, I have a question. What ryhmes with twelve? I mean i can’t find anything! Please help me find one!
Delve rhymes with twelve.
you guys have too much time on your hands haha.
THE WORD GIVER RHYMES WIYH SILVER!!!
door hinge rhymes with orange! lol
orange is like the most useless word in the world. it’s only good for a fruit and a color. goop is a weird word. (to me)
Wonderful comments. My classmates and instructor will love to see some of your examples. Thank you, and Have a Happy!
Raymond
vladimirjakob@msn.com
raymond@brandes.org
i love aliens
i love aliens
Orange- Blorenge (A Mountain in Whales), and yes sporange (a sac where spores are made)
Silver- Wilver (a nickname), and Chilver (a ewe)
what rhymes with twelve?
Delve rhymes with twelve
Gorringe (a surname) rhymes with Orange.
i need a word that ryhmes with twelve. it’s for a cheer.
i am looking for something to rhyme with twelve too! and also unique????
Twelve? Shelve.
I liked to see this event, thank you