Bird Watching

[Panic Button]

Another way of describing spoonerisms

[stewey]

Wouldn't "bird watching" spoonerismed (?) be 'wird batching'?

[taichiperson]

Word botching!

[Panic Button]

(clips Stewey round the ear)

[stewey]

Thanks for the clip around the ear, Panic: enjoyed the physical contact. However, a 'spoonerism' is an accidental or purposeful { for the intent of humour} misplacing of initial letters of words in a phrase or statement. The classic example is: "You have hissed the mystery lesson" meaning "You have missed the history lesson."

[taichiperson]

Does the definition work when written or when spoken, as above??

[Panic Button]

A quick trawl of definitions shows that most regard a spoonerism as a transposition of letters or sounds.

Here is one that simply describes it as transposition of sounds.

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key =76812&dict=CALD

(clips the other ear)

[Zen]

A mucking fuddle is the collective noun for a group of Spoonerisms....

[jno]

ah yes, like the rather dodgy Boar's Head tavern down our way

[stewey]

I like 'em all: must admit I didn't get the 'bird watching' at first...........ears burning!:)

[jno]

I like your SHining Wit, stewey...

[joko]

spoonerisms that work aurally don't always work on paper - as with the word botching/wird batching one, but as most spoonerisms begin life through accidental slips of the tongue, i thing the aural ones work the best

the name spoonerism, came from a man, called spooner, who many years ago unintentionally became well known for doing this.

[heathfield]

One of my favourites is the collective term for bank managers - 'a wunch of bankers!'.

[joko]

the best spoonerism ever...?

tronald dump