A clerihew's a whimsical, four-line biographical poem invented by Edmund Clerihew Bentley. The lines are comically irregular in length, and the rhymes, often contrived, are structured AABB. Structure and style A clerihew has the following properties: It's biographical and usually whimsical, showing the subject from an unusual point of view; it pokes fun at mostly famous people It's four lines of irregular length (for comic effect); the third and fourth lines are usually longer than the first t… (More on Clerihew)