Spoonerisms

Spoonerisms are a type of slip of the tongue where you switch sounds between two words. The error gets its name from a British man, a Canon Spooner, who would say things like "Pardon me, but you are occu-pewing my pie."

It's fun to spoonerize names. I recently read a book by Steven Pinker. If you spoonerize his name, it's Peeven Stinker (I should add that I actually admire Pinker, so this is not to disparage him at all). I used to know a male couple called Mark and Dennis. I called them Dark and Menace (not to their faces). We have a TV news anchor named Cathy Brock. Do you know what you get when you spoonerize her name? (Don't tell her I said that!)

It's fun to spoonerize other words when the spoonerism is a new word pair. For example, tile grout becomes trial gout. Pool cue becomes cool pew. Cold and flu season becomes fold and clue season. You know the vehicle called the Land Rover? If you spoonerize that name, you get a term for an avaricious South African: rand lover.

Copyright © 2010 by Richard Stein