Definitions for spoonerism
ˈspu nəˌrɪz əmspooner·ism

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. spoonerismnoun

   transposition of initial consonants in a pair of words

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. spoonerismnoun

   A play on words on a phrase in which the initial (usually consonantal) sounds of two or more of the main words are transposed.

   The spoonerism "The queer old dean" (instead of "the dear old Queen") is attributed to Rev. Spooner.

2. Etymology: Named after the Reverend W. A. Spooner (1844-1930), who is supposed to have habitually made such slip-ups.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Spoonerism

   A spoonerism is an occurrence in speech in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched (see metathesis) between two words in a phrase. These are named after the Oxford don and ordained minister William Archibald Spooner, who reputedly did this. They were already in use by the 16th century by the author François Rabelais and called contrepèteries. In his novel Pantagruel, he wrote "femme folle à la messe et femme molle à la fesse" ("insane woman at mass, woman with flabby buttocks"). An example is saying "The Lord is a shoving leopard" instead of "The Lord is a loving shepherd" or "runny babbit" instead of "bunny rabbit." While spoonerisms are commonly heard as slips of the tongue, they can also be used intentionally as a play on words.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. spoonerism

   Spoonerism is a verbal error in which a speaker accidentally transposes the initial sounds or letters of two or more words, often to humorous effect. The term is named after Reverend William Archibald Spooner, who was known to make this kind of error in his speeches. Examples include saying "you have hissed all my mystery lectures" instead of "you have missed all my history lectures."

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Spoonerism

   A spoonerism is an error in speech or deliberate play on words in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched, between two words in a phrase; for example saying "The Lord is a shoving leopard." instead of "The Lord is a loving shepherd.". 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.

Matched Categories

1. • Slip Of The Tongue

Anagrams for spoonerism »

1. no promises

How to pronounce spoonerism?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say spoonerism in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of spoonerism in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of spoonerism in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=spoonerism
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Spoonerism
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoonerism
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=spoonerism