I’m reading a book, The Best of the Old Farmer’s Almanac: The First 200 Years, and what a hoot! It’s got a lot of history, but it’s also got a lot of really funny articles. While reading another gut-busting story, I would exclaim to my family, “Oh WAIT WAIT, here’s another one!” And when I came to the section about Spoonerisms, it was just TOO much; my first thought was “This is terrific flog bodder, bwahahaha!!” And thus, here we are. :D
Spoonerism: an error in speech or deliberate play on words in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched.
The word “spoonerism” comes from the Reverend William Spooner, a late 19th century professor and clergyman from Oxford, England. Apparently, he was the typical absent-minded professor. Wikipedia says, “It is said Reverend Spooner not only mixed up words, but entire concepts upon occasion. Reportedly, he once spilled salt at a dinner and absent-mindedly poured some wine on it, a reversal of the usual procedure. According to sources, he once remarked of a widow that ‘her husband was eaten by missionaries.’”
Spooner rose to the annals of folklore when, according to the great legend, he announced the name of a hymn to sing in chapel. Intending to say Conquering Kings Their Titles Take, he instead blurted out Kinquering Kongs Their Titles Take.
(BWAHAHAHA!!!! By the way, is this where the “King Kong” idea came from?!)
Other moments of spooneristic glory were when Reverend Spooner severely scolded his class for “hissing my mystery lectures!” And another time, when calling for a huzzah during Queen Victoria’s Jubilee, he burst forth with “let us give three cheers for the queer old dean!”
Of course, college students being college students, they quickly latched on to Spooner’s oopsies and crafted a swath of their own mexed missages, pinning them all on the Reverend. Rev. Spooner seemed to warm to the attention, and before long he was submitting some of his previous gaffes for more laughs. Here are some of the funniest I found, some by Spooner, and some by others (spoonerists?):
- >I was hocked and shorrified!
- >He rode off on his well-boiled icicle.
- >We each had tee martoonies.
- >A blushing crow.
- >It is kisstomary to cuss the bride.
- >She joins this club over my bed doddy!
- >The old revival hymn, Shall We Rather at the Giver.
- >What a vast display cattleships and bruisers!
- >All the world was thrilled by the marriage of the Duck and Doochess of Windsor.
- >Yessir, we’ll have the hags flung out!
- >The Lord is our shoving leopard.
- >Farmers: the tons of soil.
- >May I sow you to another sheat?
- >Oh! That was a tip of the slung!
I don’t speak spoonerisms very often, but other folks I know do, and they are so funny! I’m going to have to take notes from now on! Bwahahaha! What spoonerisms do you know/do?
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July 18, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Those are great. It reminds me of this Cuban Girl I used to work with - she had a hard time trying to come up with the right English word sometimes and would say the most hilarious things, we started writing them all down. One time she was trying to describe her husband, “He’s a loaf of bread.” what??? She was trying to tell us he was wholesome - she’d have us rolling everyday.
June 22, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Where can I get the words to “Mardon me padam”?
November 21, 2010 at 3:43 pm
Rebecca, I LOVE Spoonerisms!
April 3, 2011 at 9:40 pm
Spoonerisms were/are big in my family from upstate Wisconsin, so if you didn’t get it yet, here gou yo:
“Mardon me Padam, is this pie occopued? If you’ll tollow me down the file, I can sow you to another sheat.:
June 24, 2012 at 11:43 am
Why, yes. Now I have bled this rog. May I ask, Whyever do you mink of thee when you hear a Spoonerism?
June 27, 2012 at 3:10 pm
Vanilla- LOL! The kids and I love Spoonerisms and misplaced modifiers. We have great fun and these games certainly spice up boring road trips. I guess I thought of you because you used to be a teacher. I am a “homegrown” teacher (homeschooling) but I also come from a family of teachers and engineers. Only a teacher would know a misplaced modifier (defined), and gleefully vociferate Spoonerisms like they are old friends.
June 27, 2012 at 4:30 pm
The mother is a child’s first teacher, and the best one the child will ever have, too, if the mother takes her job seriously, as you clearly do.
Teachers do seem to enjoy word play; or playing the pedantic to those who misuse them. tehe