Scazon, also known as “limping iambic,” is a metrical form originating in ancient Greek and Latin poetry, particularly associated with satirists like Archilochus and Horace, characterized by a substitution of a spondee or trochee in the final foot of an otherwise iambic line, creating a halting or syncopated rhythm that conveys irony, informality, or emotional agitation; in English adaptations, scazon often appears as a truncated or irregular iambic line that “limps” to a close, lending a colloquial or subversive tone suitable for satire, invective, or personal reflection.

Scazon reverses final foot of iambic trimeter to create limping, unexpected ending. Also called choliambic or limping iambic. Classical Greek invention. Creates surprise or ironic effect. Study Hipponax who pioneered form.