spoonerism

Spooner +‎ -ism, named after the Reverend W. A. Spooner (1844–1930), who is supposed to have habitually made such slip-ups.

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• enPR: spo͞onʹərĭzəm, IPA^(key): /ˈspuːnəɹɪzəm/

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spoonerism (plural spoonerisms)

1. A play on words on a phrase in which the initial (usually consonantal) sounds of two or more of the main words are transposed.

   The spoonerism "The queer old dean" (instead of "the dear old Queen") is attributed to Rev. Spooner.

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