Spooners (Spoonerism) Day 2021: July 22 -

July 22nd is Spooner’s Day, named after Reverend William Archibald Spooner (born at London, England, July 22, 1844, warden of New College, Oxford, 1903–24, died at Oxford, England, Aug 29, 1930) who had the terrible habit with the ‘slip of his tongue.

No, he wasn’t saying bad words. He just wasn’t saying the words in the right order. Instead of saying, ‘There goes a bunny rabbit, ‘Spooner would often slip and say, ‘There goes a runny Babbit.’

Spooners Day celebrates Spoonerisms, and that tongue slips that most of us make all the time. Celebrate this holiday by refusing to be embarrassed when you misspeak. Like Spooner, you should always embrace your quirks. To learn more about spooners (spoonerism) day, Keepincalendar put together everything you need to know.

Spooners (Spoonerism) Day

A day to remember the scholarly man whose accidental transpositions gave us blushing crow (for crushing blow), tons of soil (for sons of toil), queer old dean (for dear old queen), swell foop (for fell swoop), and half-warmed fish (for half-formed wish).

Spoonerism

A spoonerism is an error in speech or deliberate play on words in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched (see metathesis) between two words in a phrase. For example, saying ‘The Lord is a shoving leopard’ instead of ‘The Lord is a loving shepherd’.

While spoonerisms are commonly heard as slips of the tongue resulting from unintentionally getting one’s words in a tangle, they can also be used intentionally as a play on words. The term ‘Spoonerism’ was well established by 1921 thanks to an article in The Times.

A spoonerism is also known as a narrow sky, purportedly after a Polish count who suffered from the same impediment.

Try talking in spoonerisms for the day and see if it doesn’t make your own transpositions send you rolling on the floor. This is not a day to make fun, but to smile at the twist of the tongue that made him famous and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind putting a snappy dile on your face.

How to Observe Spoonerism Day

Celebrate the day by writing your own spoonerisms or reading a book on spoonerisms. You could also read some spoonerisms that Spooner is said to have uttered:

“It is kisstomary to cuss the bride.”
“Blushing crow” (crushing blow).
“The Lord is a shoving leopard” (Loving shepherd).
“A well-boiled icicle” (well-oiled bicycle).
“I have in my bosom a half-warmed fish” (half-formed wish—it is believed he said this in a speech Queen Victoria).
“A toast to our queer old dean” (our dear old Queen).
“Will nobody pat my hiccup?” (Will nobody pick my hat up?)
“Go and shake a tower” (Go and take a shower).
“Is the bean dizzy?” (while hoping to speak to a college dean).
And of course, “Mardon me padom, you are occupewing my pie. May I sew you to another sheet?”