Erin writes: When playing Mad Libs, my husband, Andrew, chooses where to put the words I suggest, instead of filling out the blanks in order. He says this makes it funnier. I say it’s contrary to the spirit of the game. I seek an order that he stop. Also $1 million.
Andrew’s time-consuming futzing enhances no one’s fun but his own. Mad Libs already works [adverb], and has since the 1950s, when Leonard Stern and Roger Price [verb, past tense] it. True, sometimes the randomness produces a [noun], but that just makes it [adjective] when a suggested word really hits. More important: It’s a [noun] of turns. One person gets to think up the [adjective] words; the other writes them down. I suspect what Andrew hates is this last part: being a mere scribe. He wants the spotlight on his [adjective] brain in both positions. In any case, I rule in [your name]’s favor, and order [his name] to fill these blanks in order, and pay you [amount of money]. I also order Mad Libs not to sue me.
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