18 MARCH 2000, Page 32

Taxi-metres

From Dr L. C. Laming RNVR (ret'd) Sir: I am indebted to Mr Evan Williams (Letters, 11 March) for drawing my atten- tion to the preposterous claim by Jaspistos that there are no good rhymes for 'taxi'. He mentions Irving Berlin's 'Black Sea' but that is hardly any better than MacNeice's `Blavatsky'. Yet I'm sure I remember a lusty naval rating's song which went:

She — had — those dark and dreamy eyes, me boys, with a whizz-bang up her jacksie!

If you should doubt me, please consult a good slang dictionary.

L. C. Laming

32a Bisham Gardens, London N6