spoonerism

[ spoo-nuh-riz-uhm ]

noun

1. the transposition of initial or other sounds of words, usually by accident, as in a blushing crow for a crushing blow.

spoonerism

/ ˈspuːnəˌrɪzəm /

noun

1. the transposition of the initial consonants or consonant clusters of a pair of words, often resulting in an amusing ambiguity of meaning, such as hush my brat for brush my hat

spoonerism

1. A reversal of sounds in two words, with humorous effect. Spoonerisms were named after William Spooner, an English clergyman and scholar of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In one spoonerism attributed to him, he meant “May I show you to another seat?” but said, “May I sew you to another sheet?”

Word History and Origins

Origin of spoonerism¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; after W. A. Spooner (1844–1930), English clergyman noted for such slips; -ism

Word History and Origins

Origin of spoonerism¹

C20: named after W. A. Spooner (1844–1930), English clergyman renowned for slips of this kind