Spoonerism Saturday

Three hour flight delay in the airport... what to do?  I suppose I could do some, you know, actual work, but how about a blog post instead?  :-)

Both in games and in other forms of artistic creation, we often dip into the well of randomness to kickstart creativity.  Often it's done consciously, but sometimes our subconscious minds do it for us.  One example is the verbal spoonerism, where one intends to say a specific phrase, but a few of the letters get jumbled around.  (Sometimes the spoonerism may become more well known than the original phrase... like bass-ackwards?)

There is spo noon.

You can easily find lots of example spoonerisms out there, but for the last couple of years I've been keeping track of the ones that I hear (or say) in everyday life.  Below is a sampling.  Maybe the chance combination of syllables could get some creative juices flowing?  Or at least generate a chuckle or two?

(Note: not all are "pure" spoonerisms, where the first syllables of two adjoining words are transposed.  The wikipedia entry linked above also discusses a proposed definition of "kniferisms" and "forkerisms" that deal with other syllables.  Some of mine probably don't even fall into those neat categories...)


bopped a plock-up  (blocked a pop-up)

sundraising fupper  (fundraising supper)

a flue gew sticks  (a few glue sticks)

pence-fosts  (fence-posts)

pass-snerchin'  (purse-snatchin')

BcCormack Macon Pieces  (McCormack Bacon Pieces)

macaroni and chaise tree  (macaroni and cheese tray)

cast cotegory  (cost category)

villi chezzie  (veggie chili)

potem tole  (totem pole)

toter vurnout  (voter turnout)

When Hallie Met Sarry  (When Harry Met Sally)

The Mantom Phenace   (The Phantom Menace)

Mess-winster  (Westminster)

show snovel  (snow shovel)

chee-kain  (key-chain)

tee two-spoons  (two teaspoons)

logue brudger  (rogue bludger)

Is your zacket jirped?   (Is your jacket zipped?)

beed firders   (bird feeders)

Many more beyond the cut...

blows knowin'   (nose blowin')

bretter and bud   (butter and bread? or is it bread and butter?)

Jod gudges  (God judges)

studdly cud-muffin  (cuddly stud muffin)

Stoy Tory   (Toy Story)

poat cocket   (coat pocket)

face-baythed   (faith-based)

the failing has cooled    (the cooling has failed)

breens and growns   (greens and browns)

mills bailed   (bills mailed)

Gary Boldwater   (Barry Goldwater)

delf-seprecation     (self-deprecation)

Bass Noss    (Boss Nass)

howboy cats    (cowboy hats)

you smarted, I felt it    (um, yeah)

bayga pizzel    (bagel pizza, or is it pizza bagel?)

I've gotta wash my wear  (wear my watch)

polling bin    (bowling pin?)

are you hold or cot?    (are you cold or hot?)

a squick prinkling    (a quick sprinkling)

Fero Hactory     (Hero Factory)

botter woughtl     (water bottle)

the rooshy mice    (the mushy rice)

I'm still they're sure working on it   (I'm sure they're still working on it)

nude nerz    (nerd news)

med and brilk    (bread and milk)

chill greeze    (grill cheese)

the hold card facts     (the cold hard facts)

bay-lick and gar-zil    (garlic and basil, or basil and garlic?)

smoft and sooshy    (soft and smooshy)

falking tunny     (talking funny)

muntley buckler    (monkey butler)

we're kinda loo on the no-dells   (low on the noodles)

I'm going to get my chose clained    (clothes changed)

tensity and demperature   (density and temperature)

stuffing stockers     (stocking stuffers)

spitty pectacular   (pretty spectacular)

stow snorm    (snow storm)

cry-nee why-baby    (whiny crybaby)

brud is blight red    (blood is bright red)

cheesebacker murgeroni    (cheeseburger macaroni)

west ravelength    (rest wavelength)

one past lass     (one last pass)

punchy creanut butter      (crunchy peanut butter)

thor sroat     (sore throat)

rine wice vinegar     (rice wine vinegar)

peaking of Spatrick...     (speaking of Patrick...)

Mo Lane      (lo mein)

mouse toilette     (moist towel-ette)

Chinese You Near     (Chinese New Year)

ay-per pairplane    (paper airplane)

Hallow Shall      (Shallow Hal)

litty kitter    (kitty litter)

eyes and ears and nouth and moze   (eyes and ears and mouth and nose)

his tock is clicking    (his clock is ticking)

thick, fully wurr coat    (thick, wooly fur coat)

a squying furl    (a flying squirrel)

they're rockin' hops    (they're hoppin' rocks)

Loey and Klamar    (Khloe and Lamar)

counterly utter-productive    (utterly counter-productive)

rell witten    (well written)

a pig backage   (a big package)

J. P. Senny     (J. C. Penny)

trim swunks     (swim trunks)

hooper-speero    (super-hero)

roised vases    (raised voices)

it keeps your hard costage     (it keeps your card hostage)

wag flaving    (flag waving)

I feel flot and hushed    (I feel hot and flushed)

riggle womb    (wiggle room)

lunder and thightning    (thunder and lightning)

I don't mean to fake you meel bad   (I don't mean to make you feel bad)

if we rait awound...    (if we wait around...)

mawn lower    (lawn mower)

fills and skeets    (skills and feats)

can-pake    (pancake)

plan paincakes    (plain pancakes)

cling spreening    (spring cleaning)

winni-meets    (mini-wheats)

a dust cropping plane    (a crop dusting plane)

splatter platter     (splatter pattern)

a shooking ko     (a cooking show)

clearanny of tee-shays     (tyranny of cliche's)

barlic and gayzil     (garlic and basil)

there was a ten appatched    (there was a pen attached)

there's a par carked    (there's a car parked)

redding wing     (wedding ring)

the flaying pield      (the playing field)

a bake caker     (a cake baker)

mut-neg       (nutmeg)

a cloilet togging incident    (a toilet clogging incident)

wash your fands and hace    (wash your hands and face)

it's rick-ed where    (it's wicked rare)

the shar ko     (the car show)

plick backberries    (pick blackberries)

the see threason porch    (the three season porch)

devvy hooty     (heavy duty)

Tay sten feet back from the bus     (Stay ten feet back from the bus)

we pinished our facket      (we finished our packet)

we want funny more...       (we want money for...)

old fairied marts        (old married farts)

the other tropping shist     (the other shopping list)

fookin' kood        (cookin' food)

overclast cowds    (overcast clouds)

mitch rilk chocolate     (rich milk chocolate)

do you talk about a lot it?     (do you talk a lot about it?)

fird beeder     (bird feeder)

I am toe sotally exhausted    (I am so totally exhausted)

bring in the forch purniture     (bring in the porch furniture)

speed, reek, or write     (speak, read, or write)

that looks yo summy      (that looks so yummy)

your cowse of hards      (your house of cards)

Flairy the Pattapuss    (Perry the Platypus)

Duthard Sotherland    (Donald Sutherland)

Helvin-Kelmholtz time scale      (Kelvin-Helmholtz time scale)

their mag at half-flast    (their flag at half-mast)

Thappy Hanksgiving    (Happy Thanksgiving)

cakin' bookies    (bakin' cookies)

cookin' bakies    (bakin' cookies)

I like this sight feen       (I like this fight scene)

roodle mitch     (noodle rich)

a chan of kickin' soup     (a can of chicken soup)

took a wurn for the terse     (took a turn for the worse)

only a Dith seals in absolutes    (only a Sith deals in absolutes)

Fran Sancisco     (San Francisco)

Bankin and Rass       (Rankin and Bass)