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spoonerism |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Hutchinson | 0.03 sec. |
spoonerismReversal of the initial letters or syllables of two or more words, such as “I have a half-warmed fish in my mind” (for “half-formed wish”) and “a blushing crow” (“a crushing blow”). The word is derived from the name of William Archibald Spooner (1844–1930), a distinguished Anglican clergyman and warden of New College, Oxford, a nervous man who committed many “spoonerisms.” Such transpositions are often made intentionally for comic effect. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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com, which explains word games such as anagrams, palindromes, and spoonerisms. Spoonerisms, unintentionally "flip-flopping the initial sounds of words," are a common slip in everyday speech, and here the author-illustrator takes full advantage of some silly results. Spoonerisms, where the first letter of words are mixed, such as, "I'm not a mar, cadam," for "I'm not a car, madam. |
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