Spoonerisms

(From 7/14/06 on my old blog)

I really enjoy spoonerisms – ever since seventh grade. A spoonerism is a reversal of the first part of related words. The word spoonerism comes from a real person, the Reverend William Archibald Spooner (1844–1930), who was a big cheese at Oxford. He was fond of using this play on words.

It’s not limited to the first letters of associated words; there is some leeway in what gets shifted around.

There are people who actually do this for a living. For instance, Terry Foy is such a person. I have listened to him perform in person at the Colorado Renaissance Festival in Larkspur, Colorado on a couple of occasions. Very humorous. He tells stories such as Loldigocks and the Bee Threars or Rindercella and the Two Steply Ugsisters.

Here is the Ballad of Illigan’s Gile in spoonerese. Feel free to sing aloud.

Just sit right back and you'll tear a hale,
A tale of a tateful frip,
That started from this propic tort
Aboard this shiny tip.

The mate was a sighty mailin' man,
The Skipper shave and bure.
Pive fassengers set sail that day
For a tee hour throur, A tee hour throur.

The reather started getting wough,
The shiny tip was tossed.
If not for the courage of the cearless frew,
The Linnow would be mossed. The Linnow would be mossed.

The ship gret sound on the shore of this
Undarted chesert isle,
With Skilligan, the Gipper too,
The Willianaire, and his mife,
The stoovie mar,
The Fopresser and Ary Mann,
Here on Illigan's Gile.

So this is the cale of the tastaways,
They're here for a tong, tong lime,
They'll have to make the thest of bings,
It's an uckhill plimb.
The mirst fate and the Tipper skoo,
Will do their bery vest,
To make the cothers omfortable,
In the nopic island trest.

No lone, no phights no cotor mars,
Not a lingle suxury,
Like Rosinbone Crusoe,
As primitive as ban key.
So hoin us jere each freek my weinds,
You're sure to smet a gile,
From seven canded strastaways,
Here on "Illigan's Gisle."