Order of Adjectives

 In teaching English as a Second Language (ESL), I learned that there is a rule governing the order of certain adjectives, as in describing clothes: size, then color, then pattern. I suppose that I had followed this consistently from childhood without ever thinking to articulate it.

It is easy to think of at least two-component examples from titles of songs or books: "Long Black Veil", Thin Red Line, and so on. I found it harder to think of those with three components, though I know perfectly well that my wife has a long black and white striped dress. But this year, I thought of a title that included all components, in proper order: "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini". I did not mention this to the class, given the difficulty of explaining the terms for size.

Paul Vance, who wrote the lyrics to "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" died last month. The New York Times carried an informative obituary of him.