Let’s start the weekend early with something fun! Today we’ll look at Spoonerisms. Spoonerisms are words or phrases where certain sounds get mixed up—when you’re talking faster than you think, or perhaps have had too much to drink. My dad’s second favorite is “I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.” His number one favorite is not fit for print. 🙂
The Spoonerism was named after Reverend William Archibald Spooner, a man who apparently mixed his words often. A brief history of the reverend and more details on Spoonerisms can be found on The Wordplay Web Site (http://www.fun-with-words.com/spoon_history.html). The list below contains an edited list of Spoonerisms from the same web site.
Enjoy!
From Reverend Spooner himself…
| Spoonerism | Actual Phrase |
| fighting a liar | lighting a fire |
| you hissed my mystery lecture | you missed my history lecture |
| cattle ships and bruisers | battle ships and cruisers |
| nosey little cook | cozy little nook |
| a blushing crow | a crushing blow |
| we’ll have the hags flung out | we’ll have the flags hung out |
| you’ve tasted two worms | you’ve wasted two terms |
| our shoving leopard | our loving shepherd |
| a half-warmed fish | a half-formed wish |
…and from others…
| Spoonerism | Actual Phrase |
| lack of pies | pack of lies |
| I’m a damp stealer | I’m a stamp dealer |
| mad bunny | bad money |
| lead of spite | speed of light |
| I hit my bunny phone | I hit my funny bone |
| flutter by | butterfly |
| it crawls through the fax | it falls through the cracks |
| my zips are lipped | my lips are zipped |
| Would you like a nasal hut? | Would you like a hazel nut? |
| belly jeans | jelly beans |
Kara Church | Senior Technical Editor
Symitar, A Jack Henry Company
8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123
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