Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A transposition of sounds of two or more words, especially a ludicrous one, such as Let me sew you to your sheet for Let me show you to your seat.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
play on words on aphrase in which theinitial (usuallyconsonantal ) sounds of two or more of the main words aretransposed .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun transposition of initial consonants in a pair of words
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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This is curious, for it seems, on the evidence of those who knew him best, that the spoonerism was a verbal felicity which he did not perpetrate.
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He looked particularly fetching dressed up as the "Gairy Fodmother" in a Canterbury convent's "spoonerism" Halloween party.
Joshua David Stein: Saint of 9/11: A Premature Hagiography 2008
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The only spoonerism which is possibly authentic comes in his announcement of a hymn as "Kinkering kongs."
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RUCerious Brought to you by MalWart your source for cheap plastic crap says: continued after fat finger … also enjoy a good spoonerism like rucking fepublicans …
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I asked you to write a riddle starting with what's the different between in which the answer involves a spoonerism, where you interchange the initial consonant sounds of two words.
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You gave us a challenge last week, which we haven't had one of these in the while, the spoonerism.
Master Of Ceremonies 2010
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I'd like you to write a riddle starting: What's the difference between - in which the answer involves a spoonerism.
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Can you briefly just explain the spoonerism conceit?
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You know a spoonerism is when interchange consonant sounds.
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I'd like you to write a riddle starting: What's the difference between, in which the answer involves a spoonerism.
bobodod commented on the word spoonerism
...I ever heard, was when a friend was reading a copy of "Mother Earth News" magazine and, turning to relate something interesting, instead called the magazine "Mother Nerth Ewws".
June 26, 2007
gangerh commented on the word spoonerism
a googol of geese
January 30, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word spoonerism
a cunning stunt
June 21, 2008
plethora commented on the word spoonerism
A shining wit.
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word spoonerism
I heard these attributed to the Rev. Spooner himself:
"The Lord is a shoving leopard to his flock."
and something about the pleasures of riding a well-boiled icicle.
June 21, 2008
skipvia commented on the word spoonerism
I understand the good Reverend once complained of addressing beery wenches each Sunday morning.
June 21, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word spoonerism
someone I worked with once referred to "the whole matching shoot"
July 24, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word spoonerism
Q What is the difference between a sandpiper and a baby?
A A sandpiper flits along the shore.
August 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word spoonerism
Q What is the difference between a chorus-girl and a tramp?
A A chorus-girl has natty knickers.
(Probably only meaningful to British English speakers).
August 18, 2008
tbtabby commented on the word spoonerism
It's very hard to fight a liar in roaring pain.
March 25, 2009
bilby commented on the word spoonerism
Once a big molicepan
Saw a bittle lum,
Sitting on the sturbcone
Chewing gubble bum.
'Hi!' said the molicpan.
'Bitter simmie gome.'
'Tot on your nintype!'
Said the bittle lum.
- Edward Lear, 'Once a Big Molicepan'.
April 12, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word spoonerism
"Haila Stoddard, playing Pauline on The Secret Storm was supposed to say to her mother, 'I always thought she was a bit of a witch.' Instead, there on live TV, in front of millions, she said, 'whit of a bitch.' Her astounded mom, instead of going on with her regular lines, responded, 'Oh dear, Pauline, you didn't mean to say that!' It took the actors ten minutes to get back to the script."
-Uncle John's All-Purpose Extra Strength Bathroom Reader
May 21, 2009
wordlover42 commented on the word spoonerism
I once received a chain email full of spoonerisms.. my favorite was a waiter trying to say " Let me show you to your seats" that instead said " Let me sew you to your sheets".
June 25, 2009
Prolagus commented on the word spoonerism
Spoonerism.
May 30, 2010
kltporter commented on the word spoonerism
I frequently stumble into spoonerisms when I am tired. It makes me feel better that there are enough folks with this quirk that it actually has a name.
June 24, 2013
qms commented on the word spoonerism
In 2010 a BBC radio 4 presenter committed a spoonerism that will live forever on the internet. At that time the UK's Culture Secretary was Jeremy Hunt. The presenter managed to spoonerize the surname and the area of responsibility. He then struggled lengthily to regain his composure. A listener emailed an amusing message of comfort:
"It's well known in psycholinguistic research that two words that share a vowel are prone to a speech error in which the initial consonants are exchanged. For this reason making Jeremy Hunt the Culture Secretary was reckless in the extreme."
It is true, although hard to credit, that the presenter's name is James Naughtie.
James Naughtie Jeremy Hunt Today Programme BBC Radio 4 - long version.
July 2, 2015