What term describes enjambment alluding to a taboo word?

In the schoolyard rhyme "Miss Susie" the taboo word is spoken aloud, so I'm not sure that it qualifies as a mind rhyme. Likewise, in the case of a subverted rhyme the expected word isn't spoken.

I will go to heaven
And he will go to Hell-
O, operator

Is there a literary or poetic term for this usage of enjambment?


Solution 1:

I would call this 'interrupted-word rhyme'. I think that enjambment is not fitting because 'enjambment' doesn't seem to otherwise transition to a new word:

'This is the | forest pri | meval. The | murmuring | pines and the | hemlocks' - Longfellow, "Evangeline"

Are you familiar with interruption in written dialogues? It is typically signaled by an em dash, which indicates the unusual transition.

Admittedly, the term 'interrupted-word rhyme' is a manufactured term. There may be an existing term of which I am unaware. Because it is likely that a term does not exist, we have to consider the foremost rule of circumlocution: try to pick a term that people will understand, simply. With that in mind, I recommend that you use this term and also try to one-up me. My second-favorite alternative is 'Miss-Susie rhyme'/'Miss-Susie-type rhyme'. It's a bit ambiguous because 'rhyme' could be taken to mean 'poem', and it is also a reference that people may be unfamiliar with. It would be more clear to people who recognized the term.

Example of interruption:

Romantic man: 'What a beautiful--'
Romantic woman: 'day....'

Solution 2:

First of all, 'enjambment' is a technical word used when describing poetry.

In poetry, enjambment or enjambement is the breaking of a syntactic unit (a phrase, clause, or sentence) by the end of a line or between two verses.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enjambment

An example of a Mind Rhyme is given in Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_Rhyme

One very hot day in the summer last year

A young man was seen swimming round Brighton Pier;

He dived underneath it and swam to a rock

And amused all the ladies by shaking his

Fist at a copper who stood on the shore, The very same copper who copped him before. For the policeman to order him out was a farce, For the cheeky young man simply showed him his

Graceful manoeuvres and wonderful pace...[3]

The missing word in the first verse is of course - cock - and in the second verse - arse.

The missing word, which is a rude word is not spoken out loud. So it is a way of saying something rude without saying something rude.

Subverted Rhyme

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion

Para: We are villains who like to rhyme... Dox: In fact, we do it all the time. Para: You may think it's rather crass... Dox: But you can stick your cards right up your nose. Para: ...You were supposed to say "ass," brother. I thought we rehearsed this.

Again, the rude word is 'ass' or 'arse'.


trope [trəʊp] n 1. (Literature / Rhetoric) Rhetoric a word or expression used in a figurative sense 2. (Music, other) an interpolation of words or music into the plainsong settings of the Roman Catholic liturgy

To answer the question

Is "Miss Susie" a mind rhyme?

Yes and No

I am not particularly familiar with Miss Susie. I think part of a idea is that people are already thinking of different versions when they hear the first version.

Is there a literary or poetic term for this usage of enjambment?

If I was a Moderator I might consider doing something with this question. Because it is not really a question at all, but more of an excuse for the person asking the question to show off their knowledge.

Enjambment is a literary or poetic term. What more do you want?

A mind rhyme based on enjambment.

It is a mistake to imagine there is a corresponding single word to describe everything that exists in the known universe.