Spoonerism

[Work in progress]

About

A* spoonerism* is an error in speech or deliberate play on words in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched (see metathesis). It is named after the Reverend William Archibald Spooner (1844–1930), Warden of New College, Oxford, who was notoriously prone to this tendency.^[1] It is also known as a marrowsky, after a Polish count who suffered from the same impediment.^[2] While spoonerisms are commonly heard as slips of the tongue resulting from unintentionally getting one's words in a tangle, they can also be used intentionally as a play on words. In some cultures, spoonerisms are used as a rhyme form used in poetry, such as German Schüttelreime.*

"Spoonerisms" are commonly used in forums to avoid profanity censoring , by mixing up the first letter of two words.

Origin

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Related Memes

Smart Fella, Fart Smella

Smart Fella, Fart Smella, also spelled Smart Feller, Fart Smeller is a spoonerism that gained viral popularity in memes in 2021. Combined with Dean Norris Reaction and other formats, the phrase has been used for labeling and as a caption.

Various Examples

Search Interest