spoonerism
[ spoo-nuh-riz-uhm ]
/ ˈspu nəˌrɪz əm /
noun
the transposition of initial or other sounds of words, usually by accident, as in a blushing crow for a crushing blow.
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Origin of spoonerism
1895–1900; after W. A. Spooner (1844–1930), English clergyman noted for such slips; see -ism
Words nearby spoonerism
spoonbill, spoonbill catfish, spoon bow, spoon bread, spoondrift, spoonerism, spooney, spoon-fed, spoon-feed, spoonful, spoon hook
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
British Dictionary definitions for spoonerism
spoonerism
/ (ˈspuːnəˌrɪzəm) /
noun
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
Word Origin for spoonerism
C20: named after W. A. Spooner (1844–1930), English clergyman renowned for slips of this kind
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Cultural definitions for spoonerism
spoonerism
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?”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.