Plurals of the many-footed

[trochee]

I never hugged an octopus
I wonder what they’d think of us?
Would they think us all wusses
not to embrace the octopuses?
And even more with octopi
We’re outnumbered limb (and eye)
or is the word “octopodes“?
I think I’d better stop with these.

Apologies (or blame) to Kory Stamper and Stan Carey, whose benign and mostly blameless commentary inspired this piece of doggerel.
Here’s Kory’s video: Octopus, Octopuses, Octopi, Octopodes, which was on BoingBoing a while back. See also more from Stæfcræft & Vyākarana (h/t Stan).

Mirrored from Trochaisms.