spoonerism

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word spoonerism. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word spoonerism, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say spoonerism in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word spoonerism you have here. The definition of the word spoonerism will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofspoonerism, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: Spoonerism

English

WOTD – 20 June 2006

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Spooner +‎ -ism, named after Oxford don Reverend W. A. Spooner (1844–1930), who is supposed to have habitually made such slip-ups.

Pronunciation

Noun

Examples
  • “The queer old dean” (for “the dear old Queen”)
  • Reports of a shortage of snacks at the spoonerism conference turned out to be a complete lack of pies.

spoonerism (plural spoonerisms)

  1. A play on words on a phrase in which the initial (usually consonantal) sounds of two or more of the main words are transposed.
    Synonym: marrowsky
    • 2007, Michael Erard, Um…: Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean‎, page 16:
      Undergraduates at Oxford University were playfully fond of Spooner, whom they nicknamed "the Spoo". They also coined the term "spoonerism" around 1885, after Spooner had been a fellow at New College for almost twenty years. By 1892, his reputation for absentmindedness was well known; students came to New College expecting to hear a spoonerism.

Translations

Further reading

Anagrams

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia